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A fire incident has occurred at the White House section of the Onitsha Market, Anambra State.

The section, popularly called “Gbongboro”, serves as a warehouse, where lace and other clothing materials are sold and is located at the back of the market.

No one could ascertain the actual cause of the fire, but the inferno, which started in the early hours of Tuesday, destroyed millions of naira worth of goods.

The traders were seen running helter-skelter as they tried to salvage the remaining of their goods while calling for the men of the fire service.

An eyewitness said, “The fire started at the White House where they sell lace materials. The place was supposed to be a motor park and an emergency exit but the people blocked it with illegal structures through the approval of some government agencies.

“Even when the fire service comes, there might not be an entry point where they could enter easily to start fighting the fire. Even the traders could not enter to salvage their items and this has made the fire continue to rage.”

The state fire chief, Martin Agbili, could not be reached for reactions around 9:20 am as the fire continued to rage.

The state police spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, said, “The details are still sketchy but the situation is being monitored and firefighters operatives and police are there.”

Idris Musa has been reappointed as the Director General of the National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency, with the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari (ret.).

On Monday, the Ministry of Environment announced this via its Twitter account (@FMEnvng).

Following Musa’s outstanding performance over the previous four years, he was reappointed.

Musa was initially appointed on April 1 of 2019 for a four-year starting term.

The announcement claims that the reappointment is effective as of April 1, 2023.

The statement partly read, “President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the renewal of appointment of Mr Idris O Musa as Director General of NOSDRA for a second and final term of four years.”

“Prominent amongst these were the digitalisation of the agency’s records, review of various forms for oil spills management processes, and the review of environmental sensitivity index map.

“The map is used in the oil-producing areas to protect the vulnerable, sensitive and fragile ecosystem of the Niger Delta region.

“He also carried out many awareness campaigns on the dangers of vandalism of oil facilities.

“Musa also revolutionised online and real-time processing of environmental compliance documents and management as well as the National Gas Flare Tracker and Oil Spill Monitor.

“These are part of efforts to showcase transparency in environmental management in the oil and gas industry.”

The announcement also mentioned that NOSDRA has begun monitoring methane, a greenhouse gas that affects climate systems in Nigerian towns that produce oil and elevates the earth’s temperature.

“The Agency has commenced the preparation for the tracking of methane in the oil producing areas in Nigeria,” it said.