Ogona Anita
Properties worth over one hundred million naira were lost on Monday morning when a fire broke out from one of the main blocks of the World bank assisted hostel at St. John’s Science and Technical College Alor.
According to a report at the scene of the incident, the fire outbreak occurred after some attempts to start the school’s generator failed.
The Principal/Manager of the College Reverend father Dr. Francis Unegbu who spoke to the press on the incident, said the fire started between 9 and 9.30 am on Monday morning when the students were having their breakfast.
According to the principal, there was no human casualty but properties worth between 80 million naira and 100 million naira were lost in the inferno.
Father Unegbu reported that hostels A,B and C of the world bank assisted uncompleted project housing over 400 students were affected.
The cleric further reported that the school authority mobilized its students to quench the fire after its futile attempts to get some state fire fighting zones to come to its rescue.
Father Unegbu acknowledged the efforts of the Archbishop of the Onitsha Archdiocese Most Reverend Dr. Valerian Okeke who had assisted in building the hostel with over fifty million naira aid.
He expects that having briefed him on the latest development, he will come to the institution’s aid.
The school manager used the forum to appeal to the Anambra state government to come to the aid of the college to complete the project as well as to help it combat its erosion challenges.
In his reaction, the National President of the old boys of the St. John’s Science and Technical college Alor Dr.Cyprian Afunugo reported that he swung into action as soon as one of the old boys of the college and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria Chief Emeka Ngige called him from Lagos.
Dr. Afunugo reported his fruitless efforts to get the state fire service namely the Awka and Nnewi fire stations to come to the rescue of the college, and how the students of the college wrestled the fire to a halt.
The national President urged the state government to ensure that at least two functional fire fighting vehicles are stationed at Nnewi and others in the other big cities of Onitsha, Ekwulobia, Ihiala ,etc.
He expects that the fire responsiveness of government should be very prompt at the touch of a dial of fire outbreak emergency number(MOI)
By Michael Ezenwata
