Traders, who were just beginning to recover from last year’s market inferno, say they will have to start from scratch for the second time after losing everything in the September 10 flood.

Traders at Maiduguri Monday Market – who were just beginning to recover from last year’s devastating inferno – have to start all over again after their shops and stalls were submerged in the September 10 flood.

The nightmare of the February 2023 inferno came back to haunt Mahamadu Shagari when his market shop was again destroyed – this time by floodwater.

Shagari told RNI that business was booming before the outbreak of the fire in February  last year.

“I had five shops and stalls at the market. They were all burnt to ashes. I lost property worth more than ₦19 million in the inferno.

“With the support of family and friends – as well as the government – I managed to get one shop up and running at the Umar Ali mini-business hub opposite Monday Market. That is where most of the traders who were affected by the fire have shops and stalls now.

“We were just beginning to recover from losing everything in the fire. Business was going well. The future was looking bright. I had local and international customers.

“Then the flood came. My shop was submerged and destroyed. My property and all my stock were destroyed – all the material, clothing, wrappers, shoes and jewellery. It was another devastating blow. Now I do not know what the future holds. I do not know if I will be able to recover this time.

“The flood also destroyed my house. I am one of thousands of people who are now displaced. It has been a real nightmare. We managed to survive through the insurgency and then the fire. Just as everything was beginning to improve, I have lost it all again. I have no home, no business. It is unbearable.

“Only Almighty Allah can make us resilient and strong again. We believe it is a test from Allah and we just hope things will be better again.”

The massive fire engulfed Monday Market in the early hours of Sunday, February 26, the night after the Nigerian presidential elections, destroying property worth billions of naira.

The Borno State government – with support from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), philanthropists, individuals and organisations – reconstructed the market and it was officially reopened in October last year.

Since then, traders have started picking up the pieces of their livelihoods – until September 10 when, once again, traders lost property worth billions.

Many traders did not lose just their shops and stalls but their homes as well.

“I am not even thinking of investing in Maiduguri again. In fact, I am thinking of moving to another country. I do not have much to invest but even if I did, I do not think it is safe to invest here again,” said Hassan Mohammed, another victim of both the fire and flood.

He said many traders had lost all they owned for the second time.

“My shop was submerged and destroyed. My home is gone. All the food was washed away. I have lost millions.

“Last year, I lost my shop and property worth millions to the inferno. To be honest, I am in despair. I am seriously thinking of moving either to another state in Nigeria or maybe even abroad. I see no future. I feel hopeless. These two calamities have crippled me, financially and emotionally. I have lost everything.

“May Allah help us in our struggles to stand on our feet again.”

Umar Bolori, the immediate past chairman of the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and now a member of the 35-person flood relief disbursement committee, told journalists that plans were being formulated to support affected traders.

However, despite the assurance, Usman Ngari, a caller on Ndarason 88.5 FM Maiduguri’s “Morning Show”, questioned the method adopted by the Monday Markey fire disaster relief disbursement committee of giving a uniform amount to all affected persons without considering the impact on individuals.

“I hope this time around the flood disaster relief disbursement committee will not adopt the method used by the fire disaster committee which gave affected persons ₦100,000 each uniformly.

“If that is repeated, most of us will go out of business forever.”

GOVERNMENT WARNING

The Borno State government has warned citizens who live on the riverbanks and in flood-prone areas that they may not reconstruct their homes.

In an urgent notice, issued on Friday, September 27, the government said: “The Borno State Urban Planning and Development Board is warning the general public whose properties are along the riverbanks but have been destroyed by the flood that no form of any development/renovation is allowed in order to protect future flooding of Maiduguri and its environs.

“The settlements are Fori, Galtimari, Gwange, Sabon Gari, Bulabulin, behind Forestry Quarters, Sakwari, behind Chad Basin to Khaddamari, among others.”

It was signed by the general manager, Liman Gana Mustapha.

THE FLOOD

The flood began in the early hours of Tuesday, September 10 when the Alau Dam – 16km from Maiduguri – started overflowing.

About two million people have been affected and more than 400,000 displaced. Many are taking refuge in camps set up by the government. Others have makeshift tents and shelters on roadsides.

More than 70% of Maiduguri and its environs were submerged.

The official death toll has not been released. Many people are still missing and, nearly three weeks later, mopping up operations are continuing.

HEALTH RISKS

Healthcare workers have warned citizens of the danger of contaminated water.

Flood victims and rescuers reported seeing corpses in the floodwater. Dead animals were also spotted – the zoo in Maiduguri, which reported losing 80% of its dangerous wild animals, including snakes and crocodiles, was submerged.

The cemetery reported that bodies had been dislodged.

Hospitals said dangerous waste materials had seeped into the floodwater.

Waste from blocked, flooded and overflowing sewerage systems was also a danger.

On Thursday, September 19, the Borno State government confirmed that a case of Mpox had been detected in one of the camps housing people displaced by flood.

Health officials from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), successfully isolated the suspected patient and her mother, as well as others showing symptoms.

Mpox is an infectious disease that can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes, fever, headache, muscle ache, back pain and low energy. Most people recover, but some get very sick and there have been some cases of patients dying. Mpox is caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV).

On Wednesday, September 25, the Borno State government confirmed two cholera cases in a Maiduguri displacement camp.

Health commissioner Professor Baba Malum Gana made the announcement at the launch of a joint vaccination and supplementation programme with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Four suspected cases were evaluated, two of which were confirmed positive. The patients are being treated.

The government said measures were in place to prevent further outbreaks.

UNICEF’s Christina Valderrama praised the state’s swift response, emphasising the importance of vaccination and supplementation in protecting public health.

On Thursday, September 26, the commissioner said more than 2,000 malaria cases had been treated in displaced camps in Maiduguri since the flood.

He confirmed that there were urgent health challenges in the state as a result of the flood.

Efforts to procure insecticide-treated mosquito nets were under way.

The WHO, UNICEF and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSN, also known as Doctors Without Borders) – as well as other local and international medical and humanitarian aid agencies – have warned of an escalation of cholera, diarroea and other waterborne diseases.

The number of malnutrition cases – already at record levels – is also expected to spike.

SHETTIMA LAWAN MONGUNO