Ochanja Market Fire Disaster On My Mind

JAMES EZE

Anambra State took Nigeria by surprise when it lifted off and hoisted itself on a new orbit last Friday. In a country trashing about for so long in the firm grip of insecurity, Anambra lived its motto ‘Light of the Nation’ when it launched its Smart City Security Concept with ultramodern hi-tech surveillance equipment and top-of-the-range security vehicles. In a colourful ceremony that had most of the security chiefs expressing genuine admiration for the state and Governor Obiano, Anambra became the beacon of hope for Nigeria, a sparkling proof that Nigeria can exorcise her insecurity demons with the aid of technology.

But the ovation had hardly sunk in when tragedy struck. All of a sudden, what had seemed like a typical social media rumour become a nightmare. The famous Ochanja Market was in flames. A petrol tanker had emptied its malcontent onto the drainage and in seconds, the largest retail market in West Africa was reduced to rubble. Images of the charred remains of a mother and her child incinerated by the fire gained currency and became the face of the disaster. It struck a chord in the heart of anyone who saw it and provoked a rare emotional storm. Pictures of a young businessman looking totally robbed as he stood on top of the ruins of what used to be his wares, floated on social media to drive home a different sense of loss.  The emotion that followed it all was deeper than the River Niger on whose banks Ochanja nestles. It was sunset at noon. Darkness must have walked the face of the Niger; on that day!

From the depths our humanity, anger welled up to the surface and found expression. Someone has to explain why this tragedy happened, why it wasn’t stopped, why the fire service didn’t respond. That someone is the government of Anambra State under Chief Willie Obiano. That is understandable. Stripped to bare bones, which is what leadership means; RESPONSIBILITY. The leader takes responsibility. For what he did or did not do, for what he knew or did not know.

Leadership is a game of musical chairs. One moment you are a hero, the next you are a villain. In a blink of an eye, the music had stopped and the leader is at the receiving end of bitter angst. There’s not enough reflection about what happened or how it happened. There’s no patience to listen to minority views about efforts to help that were rebuffed or that in one of those efforts, a bright young man known as Stephen Anigbogu was hit by a bullet from the angry crowd. Stephen is the media aide to the Commissioner for Transport, who had rushed to Ochanja with a fire truck owned by famous transporter, Chief Godwin Okeke of GUO Motors. The slug missed his chest by an inch and left a gaping hole on his shoulder. No one cared to ask who pulled the trigger or to weigh the import of the sound of a gunshot in a chaotic scenario with a plume of smoke billowing into the clouds. Or that the swift handling of another petrol fire outbreak in Omagba Layout that would have wiped out what was left of Onitsha two days after the Ochanja disaster by the same Firemen who have been excoriated for no-show in the previous outbreak, heavily indicts the violent behaviour of the crowd for worsening the Ochanja tragedy. Had they allowed access to fire trucks, had they not shot at the people who came to fight the fire, perhaps the damage would have been less colossal. And perhaps more importantly, no one seemed to realize that the fire was the unexpected and the unexpected usually leaves us scratching our heads for meaning. Our ancestors called it Mbelede. And they philosophized that “Mbelede nyiri dike.” “The unexpected floors the warrior.” That is why, even at the peak of its power and glory, America wasn’t prepared enough when terror merchants struck on September 11, 2001.

The good news is that Anambra State Government has taken responsibility. Governor Obiano has visited the scene of the tragedy and held a closed door meeting with the leadership of Ochanja Market. They have agreed to conduct exhaustive inquiries into the matter and take immediate steps to heal the wounds and ensure that never again will Ochanja Market find itself so vulnerable to fire outbreaks. This is what any responsible government will do under the circumstances.

As would be expected, between a drop of tear and the pointing of accusing fingers at the state government, desperate politicians have moved in. They mock our collective pain and mouth incendiary comments to incite the victims of the fire against the government. Suddenly, political figures who had treated the victims like a plague have become superheroes; setting up hoary schemes to exert emotional influence on vulnerable people. But the government had opened a special appeal fund for people who wish to make donations of any kind to help the victims back to their feet again. Any genuine help ought to be routed through this channel which is managed independently by some of the illustrious sons and daughters of the state. We know what is driving that energy. Anambra will hold a gubernatorial election in 2021. The race has just begun. Ochanja Market is the new campaign ground. But no one is deceived. Ndi Anambra are too smart for opportunists who are desperate to feed off the vulnerability of their own people.

In spite of all these, there is no doubt that Anambra will rise from the rubble of this disaster to continue to point the way forward in Nigeria’s search for a robust democracy and a new type of politics that is devoid of extreme rancor and bloodshed.

Umunnem, anyi ga adi-ooo!

James Eze writes from Awka, Anambra State and can be reached via eziokwubundu@gmail.com