The Jama’atul Izalatul Bidi’a Wa Ikamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS) on Sunday condoled the people and government of Sokoto State over the fire disaster that razed Sokoto Central Market last week.
The group also condoled the government and people of the State, as well as the Sultan and the Sultanate Council over the death of the state’s former Commissioner for Home Affairs, Hon. Abdulkadir Jelani.
Sheikh Muhammad Sani Yahaya Jingir, the National Chairman of the body’s Council of Ulama (the Learned), while commiserating with the government over the incident counseled it to formalize future agreements with traders to whom shops and stalls are let in order to forestall a situation where the tenants take advantage of the non-existence of such undertaking to make it difficult for the state government to take full possession of its property.
Stating in the letter it presented to the Gov. Tambuwal that it received the news of the fire disaster “with much sorrow and pity,” the group expressed sympathy “with the Sokoto State government and those people whose wealth were destroyed in the market during the painful distress incident.”
Jingir prayed that Allah (SWT) replace the loss of the traders multiply in good measure all that the traders loss and also enable the state government to rebuild the burnt market.
In his response, Gov. Tambuwal appreciated said the state government is looking forward to reconstructing the mart.
He said although this is going to be Herculean as government will have to find ways to let stall tenants know that the stalls are the state’s property and would be operated as such.
He decried a situation where some of the tenants have over the years monopolize the respective property; and even have the audacity to pass them on to their kiths and kind as legacies.
Gov. Tambuwal also emphasized that government will give more attention to enlightening the people on the significance of paying Zakkat as that is the Islamically prescribed way of purifying wealth and saving such from the dangers of uncertain loss or destruction.
