The Bwari Area Council has donated relief materials worth N20 million to traders who lost their properties during the Dec. 25 violence clash among cult members in the area.
Mr Musa Dikko, Chairman of the Council, while presenting the items to the members of the Bwari Traders Association in Abuja on Tuesday, said that the gesture was targeted at bringing succour to the victims.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the town was on Christmas day thrown into violence by suspected cultists.
They burnt shops in the market and streets of the town while they also burnt tyres on the highway to prevent vehicular movement.
According to Dikko, the Council is working assiduously to ensure that not just peace and normalcy is returned completely to the town, but business continues to boom to enhance economic development of the town.
“ In my administration, this council has witnessed rapid development in the past two years.
“I want assure you also that the Bwari market road would sooner or later be attended to but for now, I want to plead with you to forgive this council.
“That is in any way it must have wronged you as no council can succeed without the market.
“This is no compensation, because we have no strength for compensation. We would continue to solicit the support of the FCTA, FEMA, NEMA and all other agencies to come to our aid in order to stabilise the situation.”
Dikko noted that the materials would be distributed to the traders whose properties were destroyed in the market as well as those whose shops were also destroyed along the JAMB road in the town.
NAN reports that the items donated include 250 bags of rice, 300 bags of maize, 100 bags of beans, 100 bags of sugar, 100 bags of salt.
Others are 200 gallons of palm oil, 200 gallons of vegetable oil and 100 bags detergent among many others.
Earlier, Malam Mohammed Bello, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, commended the Council’s gesture to the traders.
Bello, who was represented by Mr Adamu Bappa, Mandate Secretary, Area Council Service Secretariat, FCTA said the gesture was one of the ways to show the people care, concern and love.
The minister recalled that he had earlier promised the traders for a visit and also to listen to their concerns and address their situation.
He further urged the traders to exercise more patience as plans were underway to bring about better compensation to their loss.
Bello also appealed to them to work with the council to startegise on relocating from the market to give room for proper restructuring.
Speaking on behalf of the traders, the Chairman of the traders association, Alhaji Shehu Mohammed, commended both the Council and the FCTA on their efforts to attend to the needs of the people.
Shehu, however, called on the stakeholders to ensure that the perpetrators of the December act were brought to justice.
“This will serve as a deterrent to others as well as ensure peace continues to reign in the area,” he said.
