-Head of Service blames Inferno on Electrical Fault
By Amieyeofori Ibim, Port Harcourt
A fire incident on Monday evening disrupted activities at the Rivers State Secretariat Complex, as flames engulfed the ground floor of the Podium Block housing the Audit and Pension Units.
The incident, which occurred just minutes before the close of work, has stirred speculation of possible sabotage within the state civil service.
Eyewitnesses said the fire started around 4:30 p.m., forcing workers and visitors to flee the building as they made frantic efforts to contain the blaze before the arrival of fire service personnel.
Taking the lead from the incident, the Rivers State Civil Service Union has expressed concerns that the outbreak may not be unconnected with deliberate sabotage. The State Chairman of the Union, Comrade Chukukah Osumah, described the fire as unprecedented in his years of service.
“In all my years as a civil servant, I have never seen anything like this. This has never happened before,” Osumah said, suggesting that the incident might be linked to recent developments within the civil service.
His comments come amid the State Governor’s ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct and complicity of some civil servants during the six-month emergency rule.
However, the state Head of Service, Dr. Inyingi Brown, offered a different account, attributing the fire to an electrical fault.
She confirmed that no lives were lost and commended Governor Siminalayi Fubara for revitalizing the State Fire Service, which swift intervention, alongside units from Shell, Agip, and the Federal Fire Service helped prevent the flames from spreading to adjoining offices.
As at the time of filing this report, authorities had yet to release official report on the cause of the fire, but investigations are expected to commence immediately.
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