The Anambra state House of Assembly Thursday constituted a committee to investigate the Onitsha fire incident which resulted to the death of a woman, a child and destruction of property.
The committee was set up, following a motion raised under matters of urgent public importance by Hon. Edward Ibuzor (Onitsha North lI) at an emergency plenary in Awka.
The fire had on Wednesday engulfed buildings and shops at Ochanja market, Upper Iweka in Onitsha, after a 33,000 litre diesel tanker fell and caught fire.
Moving the motion, Ibuzor said the committee would ascertain the cause of the fire outbreak and recommend remedial measures to prevent future occurrences.
“We have an oversight duty to unravel the cause of the fire incident to help provide closure for the affected persons and come up with lasting solution to prevent this kind of tragedy,” he said.
Contributing, Hon. Emeka Aforka (Orumba North) said the fire incident had brought untold hardship, agony and fear to residents in the state.
“This tragedy did not just affect residents of Anambra, it has affected all Nigerians, who patronise and rely on Onitsha market for their goods and services,” Aforka said.
In his views, Hon. Lawrence Ezeudu (Dunukofia) said somebody should be held accountable for the loss of lives and property to serve as deterrent.
“Justice must prevail because that is the only way to bring succour to the affected persons,” he said.
Similarly, Hon. Tim Ifedioranma (Njikoka I) described the fire incident as unfortunate and urged the federal government to support the state government in providing relief to victims.
He said the magnitude of that fire incident was beyond what the state government could handle.
Speaker of the House, Hon Uche Okafor, extended his sympathy to the victims and urged the House Committee on Public Utilities, chaired by Hon Chidi Udemmadu, to take up the investigation of the fire incident and report back to the House in one week.
