The Nation Newspaper

Tag: fire

  • Fire guts INEC’s Abuja warehouse

    Fire guts INEC’s Abuja warehouse

    THE warehouse of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at its Electoral Institute along Airport Road, Abuja was gutted by fire at the weekend.

    But fears that 2015 electoral materials might have been affected were doused by INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity Mr. Wole Osaze Uzzi.

    He said: “None of the sensitive electoral materials for the presidential and National Assembly elections and the governorship and state assembly elections was affected.”

    The Electoral Institute’s Director of Security, Shettima Ngiladar, said the fire was caused by an electric surge.

    The director said the incident would not affect the preparation for the elections since the burnt items were the non-sensitive materials like bags, forms and envelopes used in the 2011 general elections.

    “The fire incident started yesterday (Saturday) at about 11 pm and it took the firemen about two to three hours to put off the fire,” he said.

    Asked whether it was a sabotage, he said: “There was no foul play”.

    Corroborating, the Deputy Director of Electoral Logistics at INEC, Ken Ukeagu, said: “ All sensitive materials required for 2015 elections have been moved to the states. Whatever we have here are old stocks.

    “You know the normal process of disposing materials take a little while. But these materials here are not useful for 2015 elections. All the useful sensitive materials have been moved to the states. Even if these were materials that would have been used, there is no way it would affect the elections.

    INEC National Commissioner in charge of Electoral Logistics Col. Mohammed Hammanga, who was at the institute to inspect the damage, expressed happiness that materials affected were old stock.

    “We thank God that it has not gone beyond this. We are happy that it has not destroyed the materials that will be used in the election,” he said.

  • 2 killed as fire razes Lagos Mile 12 market

    2 killed as fire razes Lagos Mile 12 market

    No fewer than two persons have been confirmed dead with properties worth millions destroyed after an early morning fire gutted the popular Mile 12 market in Ketu, Lagos.

    The outbreak which started at about 4:45am, was said to have commenced at the oil and fuel station of the market.

    Also affected were 20 shops, five motorcycles, a car, three buses and two trucks.

    It was learned that the fire burnt rapidly because the marketers stored petroleum products in their shops.

    Although the cause of the outbreak could not be ascertained at the time of filing this report, excess heat it was learned could not be ruled out.

    Meanwhile, many people were feared trapped in the inferno as vigorous fire fighting operation by men of the Lagos State Fire Service, Police Disaster Unit and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) were ongoing.

  • Fire guts school building, AIT studio

    Fire guts school building, AIT studio

    Fire has razed Ewutuntun Senior Grammar School building and part of Africa Independent Television (AIT) studio in Lagos. The fire was caused by high voltage following restoration of power. The school incident occurred about 10 pm last Saturday; AIT’s was yesterday.

    The building, a pupil Zainab Mustapha, said consisted of four classrooms, the vice principal, administration and academics, office and the English department.

    A resident, Mama Aliyah, said: “There has been power outbreak for days. When electricity officials restored power around 9.30pm, the voltage was very high. I was still trying to switch off electrical appliances in my house when I heard a loud bang.  I heard people shout fire. It was when I ran out that I realised the school behind my house was on fire.”

    It was learnt that the fire was quenched early Sunday by fire fighters.

    The school’s principal, Mrs Dupe Ojo said nothing was salvaged from the inferno.

    “I visited the school immediately I got the news but we couldn’t recover anything. Our computers, furniture, stationery, documents and other essential items went with the fire. It is indeed a great loss,” she said.

    During a visit yesterday, Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Executive Secretary Dawood Olajobi

    empathised with the school management and promised to inform the government.

    “I shall assist in my own way because I know the lost equipments are essential needs for pupils,” he said.

    The AIT fire was said to have started from an air conditioner in the studio around 9am.

    It was quickly put out by men of the Lagos State Fire Service from Agege, Ikeja and Alausa divisions.

    A senior receptionist, Mrs Ebi Lwarence, who spoke with The Nation, said there were no casualties.

    Director of Fire Service Rasak Fadipe said his men arrived on the scene 15 minutes after the distress call.

    “The fire was caused by high voltage. We arrived at the scene shortly after and we spent about 15 minutes for active fire-fighting operations.

    “Only the air conditioner was badly damaged as we were able to curtail the spread of the fire,” he said.

    He urged Lagosians to be conscious of electrical appliances in their homes and offices.

     

  • The fire this time

    •The Ebonyi crisis and impeachment frenzy should not be allowed to burn down the state

    Ebonyi State is on the verge of crisis, unless the political actors apply the brake. To stop the descent into anarchy, we urge the security agencies to rein in those responsible for the recent fire incident in the state House of Assembly, believed to be arson. The selective pattern of the fire incident lends credence to the fear that the political actors may now be resorting to impunity, just to have their way at all costs. The contending forces for political supremacy in the state are led by Governor Martin Elechi and former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, respectively.

    According to reports, the biggest prize at stake is the state governorship, which has pitted Governor Elechi who is allegedly sponsoring a candidate under the Labour Party (LP), against Senator Anyim, who is allegedly sponsoring the deputy governor, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). For the governor’s camp, the Abuja power brokers, led by Senator Anyim, allegedly orchestrated the rigging of the party primaries in favour of the deputy governor. According to them, it was in protest that the governor’s group moved their candidates to the Labour Party.

    For us, while political ambition is legitimate for all the actors, the resort to illegitimate process and wilful destruction of public property is anathema to democratic ethos. Also reprehensible are the intrigues and rigging which allegedly trailed the PDP party primary, through which the deputy governor emerged. With the parties’ primaries settled, albeit unconscionably, as claimed by some, the voters should have been left to determine their preferences at the next general election. But instead, it appears the Abuja group is determined to foist its preferred candidate on the state, by impeaching the incumbent governor.

    It is widely feared that it is the determination of those loyal to Senator Anyim to impeach the governor that is precipitating the crisis in the legislature. The fire incident which affected the offices of those loyal to the governor and the subsequent suspension of some of them, lend support to this view. As many believe, President Goodluck Jonathan has his sympathy for those pushing to oust the governor, considering that Senator Anyim is close to him. While those sympathetic to the governor are calling for restraint, those loyal to the former Senate President are pressing hard on the throttle.

    With resort to brinkmanship and criminality, Ebonyi State may pay heavily, just like Anambra State, when hoodlums, in connivance with the presidency went after Senator Chris Ngige, then the state governor. Even more fearful is the burning down of the financial records of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, probably to cover up some illicit deals or to gain an upper hand in the crisis. To show that the fire incident may not be a mere accident, the two groups are already pushing for different reaction to the incident. While the governor’s group has asked that the assembly be closed down, the opposing camp is pressing ahead with the impeachment plans. Unfortunately, the president and his party, like in Anambra, behaved like the ostrich until Tuesday when he  summoned the parties to a meeting.

    In the interest of democracy, we urge the political actors in the state, to remember that the impeachment of a state governor is a constitutional matter. To avoid making a mockery of democracy, due process, as laid down by law and upheld by the courts, must be followed. We also urge the PDP-led Federal Government not to always resort to arm-twisting tactics, to gain advantage over others, just because the Federal Government which it controls is in charge of the instrument of coercion in the country. Law, we urge, should save Ebonyi from anarchy.

  • Lagos fire: ‘We couldn’t save any of our goods’

    Lagos fire: ‘We couldn’t save any of our goods’

    Traders, who suffered losses in the fire that ravaged athree-storey shopping complex in Ereko, Lagos Island, are still bemoaning their fate – three days after the incident.

    The traders are planning how to return to business.

    It was learnt that the first, second and third floors are managed by Rembak Textiles, a fabrics company.

    The remains of some of the burnt goods littered the building.

    Some traders were yesterday trying to pick pieces of the destroyed items. The shops were locked. None of the traders including those not affected opened shop.

    Lagos State Ministry of Urban and Regional Planning has invited the caretaker, Kamorudeen Ajagbe-Balogun, for explanation.

    Ajagbe-Balogun said the ministry’s officials came to empathise with the victims and invited him for talks.

    “Although the owner is aware of the incident, after meeting with officials of Urban and Regional Planning Ministry, we shall know what next to do,” he said.

    The owner of Rembak Textiles, Hajia Tawakalitu Oshodi, said she and other occupiers of the building suffered “great loss.”

    According to her, the second and third floors are used as warehouses while the first floor is for shops.

    “We just offloaded one container of different textile materials last Saturday. We couldn’t save any of our goods from the warehouse. Even the little we saved from the shops are wet. We may end up selling it at a lesser price. As I speak, sales are so low. Everything is dull because all the new designs I purchased went with the fire. I thank God no life was lost and it happened at day time because other buildings would have been affected if it happened at night,” Hajia Oshodi said.

    The ever-busy complex looked desolate. Traders on the ground floor were still in shock.

    Oscar Osadebe, one of those on the ground floor, doesn’t know what the future holds for them, especially those not affected.

    “I have been selling cotton materials for over six years and I realised that when situations such as this happens, we don’t know what is next. Since Tuesday, we have not made sales,” Osadebe said.

    Another occupant, Yinka Twins who also trades in textile materials said: “I have been trading in this complex for over 10 years. I am confused. I don’t know if they will demolish the building because I have no place to go and if I should eventually get another place, it may not be a favoured spot. I plead with Officials of Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) to dispose the charred remains of the fire in front of our complex so we can start business again.”

  • Fire guts goods worth millions

    Fire yesterday gutted the Police Officer’s Wives Association (POWA) shopping complex on Bende Road, Umuahia.

    Traders lost goods worth millions of naira in the early morning inferno.

    Nobody died in the fire, which was said to have started from one of the shops upstairs in a complex close to the Umuahia Police Area Command and Central Police Station.

    One of the traders said the fire started about 3am, adding that he was alerted by another trader and he and his wife rushed to the scene.

    He said when they arrived, fire fighters were already there, “but it is unfortunate that they did not stay up to two minutes because they complained that their vehicle was cutting gas.”

    The trader said the fire fighters left, promising to return, but they did not come back.

    He added that if they had returned, some of the shops and goods would have been salvaged.

    The source said: “If we have committed fire fighters in this town, some of these shops would have been saved. The attitude of the fire fighters leaves much to be desired.”

    Twenty-two shops located upstairs were destroyed.

    Although the cause of the fire was unknown, sources attributed it to electrical fault in one of the shops upstairs.

    One of the traders, a nursing mother, was said to have stocked her shop on Monday, a few hours before the fire. She reportedly lost everything.

    Police spokesman Geoffrey Ogbonna confirmed the incident.

    He said the command was investigating the cause of the fire.

     

  • Fire razes three-storey building in Lagos

    Fire razes three-storey building in Lagos

    Fire swept through Lagos yesterday, razing a three-storey complex at Ereko Market and portion of a two-storey building in Lekki.

    This incident is coming barely a month after fire engulfed about four plazas in Mandelas, another big market in Lagos Island, destroying wares worth millions of naira.

    Another inferno also razed a two-storey building at Baruwa village, Igboefon, off Chevron, Lekki, yesterday, affecting three flats on the last floor.

    The market inferno, eye witnesses, said affected the second and last floors of the building located at 12b Kosoko Street, Ereko, Idumota. It started at about 10am.

    It was learnt that the affected building was carelessly stacked with textile materials.

    Although the cause of the outbreak could not been ascertained at the time of filing this report, The Nation learnt that electrical surge or the storing of petrol inside the shops were likely causes.

    Confirming the incident both the Director Lagos State Fire Service, Rasaq Fadipe and National Emergency Management Agency’s (NEMA) southwest spokesman, Ibrahim Farinloye said there was no casualty.

    Fadipe said five fire trucks were deployed to contain the outbreak, adding that firemen got to the scene at about 10:30am.

    Farinloye said the number of shops affected could not be ascertained as investigations into the cause of fire and extend of damage has not commenced.

    He stated that rescue workers were still on ground to prevent the fire from reigniting.

     

  • Fire razes three storey building in Lagos market

    Fire razes three storey building in Lagos market

    An inferno Monday morning razed a three storey complex at the popular Ereko market, Lagos Island.

    This incident is coming barely a month after fire engulfed about four plazas in Mandelas, another big market in Lagos Island, destroying wares worth several millions.

    Monday’s outbreak which was said to have affected the second and last floors of the building located at 12b Kosoko Street, Ereko, Idumota, started at about 10am.

    It was learnt that the affected building was carelessly stacked with textile materials.

    Although the cause of the outbreak could not been ascertained at the time of filing this report, The Nation learnt that electrical surge or the storing of petrol inside the shops were likely causes.

    Confirming the incident both the Director Lagos State Fire Service, Rasaq Fadipe and National Emergency Management Agency’s (NEMA) southwest spokesman, Ibrahim Farinloye said there was no casualty.

    Fadipe said five fire trucks were deployed to contain the outbreak, adding that firemen got to the scene at about 10:30am.

    Farinloye said the number of shops affected could not be ascertained as investigations into the cause of fire and extend of damage has not commenced.

    He stated that rescue workers were still on ground to prevent the fire from reigniting

  • Fire in Lagos

    Fire in Lagos

    Fire at Ereko Street, Idumota, Lagos on Monday
    Fire at Ereko Street, Idumota, Lagos on Monday

  • Fuelling the fire: Journalism and Boko Haram

    SIR: When Paul Collier, the professor of Economics at the Oxford University wrote in his book “Wars, Guns & Votes – Democracy in Dangerous Places”, not a few development media journalists criticized him for indulging in illicit generalization about the problems of insecurity in Africa especially considering the tripartite roles of civil unrest manifesting in wars, weapons and the elusive pursuit of peace through democratic practices.

    But Africa is indeed a hotbed of crisis. And Nigeria is living up to the calling as the battleground. The nation has been in the news across major news outlets around the world; providing daily items for the media with nothing short of bad advertisements for the continent in reports (often contrived) of insurgency and the perceived failure of the security agencies to repeal these attacks. While the nation groans under the threat of insecurity, politicians are busy perfecting their acts and strategies to win the elections either by “rigging” or “shifting” of the elections; and the media busy feeding on all sorts from rumours to outright falsehoods.

    Reports on threats of Boko Haram especially in the run up to the general elections have dominated the media. Almost half of every news bulletin on Nigerian television stations is dedicated to stories on Boko Haram. Newspapers sell more with screaming banner headlines announcing Boko Haram exploits or rarely of the bravery of our soldiers as Chris Olukolade or the Defence Headquarters would want; radio is not any better. A very common but disturbing practice is the undue publicity given to the dreaded group with every video. Every time Boko Haram releases videos, the newsrooms go crazy; feasting over it; some even broadcast their videos end-to-end thereby directly aiding the group to push its deadly agenda. No censorship. No sense of responsibility to the society and the Nigerian state.

    Real news informs and enlightens. It should not, in and of itself, incite or propel negative responses. Not for a nation in dire need of responsible and development-oriented journalism like Nigeria. News should lead to rational response and reason, not reactionary impulse. What Boko Haram is doing and promoting through its media, is evil and unconscionable to the lowest imaginable. From the abduction of Chibok girls to videos of treasonable speeches; the news that the captives were being sold and used as suicide bombers provides the information from which we can form a reasonable response. The showing of the actual videos promotes only the most reactionary of responses; it stoops to the level of Boko Haram and moves us backward, instead of forward.

    Journalists would therefore do our society more good by adhering to the time tested principle of sieving through information for public consumption. And there are criteria for this. A key criteria is: Boko Haram wants us to show it. If Boko Haram wants you to show something, you should start with the principle of ‘How can we avoid doing that?’ Sometimes you can’t, because it’s editorially a key part of the story. But in this case, we can if we want to.

    • Adedeji Ajayi,

     TVC News, Lagos