REACTION OF D.O TIKO SUBDIVISION MR. FONKA AWA AUGUSTINE

The SUN: How do you describe the situation?

F.A.A :     It is a terrible and a pathetic situation that has befallen the people of Tiko Subdivision, the traders in particular and Cameroon at large, because this market serves people from far and wide, even across the borders.  The extent of the damage is horrible.  I don’t know how we will recover from this state of affairs especially for the municipality, the Subdivision and traders who have invested large sums of money in their respective businesses.

The SUN: How do you explain the extent of the damage? We’ve seen markets burn before not completely razed down as this one. 

F.A.A :  As you see for yourself, the damage is total and this comes one full year after the last fire disaster in this same market.  Today it has repeated itself, this time with a terrible dimension.  Infact, whatever thing has to be done in this market, it is a question of putting down the existing pillars that are left in the market and to come up with a completely new structure to harbour the numerous business persons that carry out activities in this market.

The SUN: How much do you think the traders have lost?

F.A.A :  It is difficult for me to advance any figure because his Excellency the Governor of the South West Region has put in place a commission of inquiry to investigate the cause of the fire accident as well as to evaluate the damage.  It is only when the commission would have been through with its work that we would be able to get the exact figure but I don’t see the extent of the damage coming below a billion francs CFA.

The SUN: What do you think should be done in future to protect our markets because fire disasters are becoming a national phenomenon?

F.A.A :  I think firstly we need to put up structures that respect good construction norms. We need solid structures that can stand the test of time and that can withstand fire outbreaks.  I say this because if you look at the structures that were constructed a year ago after the last fire incident, all the traders in that particular section are protected or survived as compared to the make-shift structures that constitute 99 percent of the market.

The second point is haphazard connection of electricity and cable connections inside the market.  We also need some security measures within the market and we need also some fire-fighters, fire extinguishers and other equipment which in the event of any fire disaster we can fight against it.  If there was water in the market, we would have used some local means to bring the fire under control.  You know that in the entire Southwest Region with the exception of SONARA there is no fire-fighting unit.

Reaction of Mayor of Tiko Municipality, Richard Tita Fombon

The SUN: What is the extent of the damage in material terms?

RTF: Thank you for sympathizing with us.  The extent of the damage is very difficult to determine right now.  The Governor has put a commission in place and it is going to come out with the cost of the damage.  What I can tell you is that our market is down, it affects our community, the economy of this community and especially it affects the council.

The SUN: What loss does it represent to the council in terms of revenue?

RTF: It is difficult because that was our main source of revenue.  It is a big blow to the council because that is the heart of the council.

The SUN: In the short-run what will be done to the traders.  Are they going to be relocated somewhere for a while?

RTF: Like I said, a commission has been put in place and I think it is going to handle issues like that.

The SUN: This fire disaster is coming one year after another incident, what do you think should be done to avoid a reoccurrence in the future?

RTF: The one thing that I know for sure is that the government is putting in place a fire-brigade in the Division and fortunately it is going to be situated in Mutengene.  On the part of the council, we plan to install fire extinguishers around the market.

The SUN: How old was this market and how may traders were inside?

RTF: I cannot tell you how many traders were inside but I can say there were close to 700 stores.  How old is the market, I can only say it is pretty old.

The SUN: Do you ore-see putting up another structure within one or two years?

RTF:  For sure, I can promise you that.

The SUN