Series of fire incidents in Akure lately have exposed the inadequacy of the Ondo State Fire Service. The story of the Organisation is that of neglect for decades by successive governments in the sunshine state.
Our Senior Correspondent, Toriola Adebayo, in this special report examines the rot in the Ondo State Fire Service and the need to make it an independent agency.
Ondo State, South-West Nigeria, has witnessed series of fire disasters in the last three weeks.
As at the last count, four fire incidents were recorded in three different locations in Akure, the state capital.
One incident that is still fresh in people’s memory is the fire outbreak at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Akure. The container housing over five thousand card reader machines were burnt, few weeks to the governorship election.
Recently, more than twenty shops were razed by fire in Ijomu area of Akure.
The fire left sour taste in the mouth of many shop owners, who got goods worth millions of naira destroyed.
Even government offices have not been spared by the man made disaster , as a building that housed five government offices was razed.
The offices affected by the fire included Ondo State Scholarship Board, Ondo State Radiovison corporation and French Language Centre.
The inability of the state fire service to respond to distress calls during fire incidents, worsened the situation.
A situation that could have been salvaged by quick intervention of fire fighters, has become a recurring decimal.
Residents constantly lament over delayed or denied responses by fire fighters.
Adejoke Oladesu is a living witness to the inefficiency of the state fire service. She was shocked that the fire fighters did not respond to their series of calls when fired razed her mother’s shop at Odofin Lane along Saint Peters Unity School
She said, “We don’t have a fire service in the state. When I could not reach them through phone, I took a bike to their office but I was shocked with what I was told . The officer I met on duty said their vehicles have broken down.
” I left the place with dissapointment. I could not believe that they don’t have a truck to go for rescue operation. It is sad”
Her’s is one out of many residents of Akure who have lost fate in the establishment.
Our crew decided to visit the headquarters of the state fire service for on the spot assessment of facilities.
What our lens captured were eyesores.
We were shocked by what we met at the premises.
The office has just two obsolete operational vehicles, bought decades ago.
The vehicles have been grounded for months and could not attend to distress calls from the public.
It is not far-fetched to know that successive governments have abandoned the place.
Although officials of the fire service declined to comment on the situation, investigation shows that they have not gone for any training in ten years.
According to our findings, the last time a good and effective fire truck was purchased was during the administration of Bode George, who was the then Military Governor of the old Ondo State between July, 1988 and September, 1990.
The state House of Assembly is pushing a bill to make fire service independent and more effective.
A member of the assembly, Simeon Toluwani Borokini, is not happy with the turn of event at the fire office.
Borokini said the state house of assembly has set up a committee to look into the problems confronting the fire service.
He noted that moving the fire service from the ministry of works will make it more viable.
With the dry season fast approaching, it is hoped that the intended bill for an independent Fire service by the state house of Assembly, will birth an effective and efficient rescue agency.
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