Tinubu Approves ₦515m Relief for Cross River SPAR Fire Victims

President Bola Tinubu has approved a ₦515 million relief package for victims of the August 22 fire that ravaged the SPAR shopping mall in Calabar, Cross River State, in one of the Federal Government’s most significant emergency interventions for a commercial disaster this year.

The financial support was announced on Friday by First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu during her visit to Cross River, where she commissioned the South-South phase of the National Community Foodbank Programme. She said the intervention was approved by the President to help affected entrepreneurs begin rebuilding their businesses after suffering extensive losses in the inferno.

According to the First Lady, 18 business owners whose shops were destroyed will each receive ₦25 million, bringing the total direct compensation for affected businesses to ₦450 million. An additional ₦50 million was presented to the wife of the Cross River State Governor, Bishop Eyoanwan Otu, to support women’s groups, while ₦15 million was donated to women who welcomed the presidential delegation, bringing the overall intervention to ₦515 million.

The fire, which broke out at the SPAR shopping complex in Calabar on August 22, destroyed numerous businesses, including pharmacies, electronics stores, fashion outlets and other retail shops. State authorities estimated that goods and property worth billions of naira were lost, leaving many traders without their primary source of income.

Oluremi Tinubu conveyed the President’s condolences to the government and people of Cross River, saying the relief fund was intended to provide immediate assistance to those whose livelihoods were devastated. She described the intervention as part of the administration’s broader commitment to supporting communities affected by unexpected disasters.

Governor Bassey Otu welcomed the federal support, noting that the assistance would complement the state government’s ongoing recovery efforts. Since the incident, state officials have pledged to help affected business owners recover while investigations into the cause of the fire continue. Preliminary reports had suggested a possible electrical fault, although authorities have yet to release a final determination.

The Calabar SPAR fire was more than a local commercial tragedy; it exposed the vulnerability of small and medium-sized businesses to sudden disasters. The federal relief package offers immediate hope to affected entrepreneurs, but it also highlights the growing need for stronger fire safety standards, insurance coverage and emergency support systems to protect livelihoods across Nigeria’s expanding retail economy.