By Josephine Oguntoyinbo
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Ondo State House of Assembly Speaker, Olamide Oladiji has expressed shock over the inferno outbreak at the Ondo East Local Government Secretariat and the State Emergency Medical Services Agency (ODEMSA) located in the same area.
The inferno which occurred at the Secretariat at the early hours of Thursday, razed down a whole part of the complex, while that of ODEMSA occurred on Sunday with two ambulances and part of the office gutted by fire.
The offices of the Chairman, Vice Chairman, ,Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) were among the offices that were affected.
The Speaker, who is representing the constituency, during an on the spot assessment to the area, expressed disappointed that the image and monument in the Council had been completely brought down by fire.
Oladiji called on the security agents to investigate the causes of the incident and ensure perpetrators are brought to book.
He assured the workers whose offices have been badly damaged by the inferno that the House will do all within its powers , taking the necessary step to monitor the situation.
Also reacting, Abiola Makinde, member, House of Representatives for Ondo East and West said it was unusual and was not happy with the situation.
He lamented that the Local Government is expecting development and not destruction.
Chairman of the Local Government, Olawale Akinkuotu, expressed wonder over the incident.
“This morning l received a call in respect of a fire incident in the Secretariat. I called the DPO immediately to the scene and he confirmed that it was a serious fire outbreak and immediately went to the fire service in Ondo to mobilize them.
“Virtually, 80 percent of the building has been razed down. The fire services tried their efforts and this is how far they have been able to save the situation. It was a very shocking occurrence.
“Basically, there shouldn’t be any fire outbreak here, because we don’t have electricity in the local government for the past 15 years, so the issue of electrical fault is totally out of it and because of the cost of diesel, we have not powered our generator for the past three months. So, I foresee hidden agenda by some unscrupulous elements.”
The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism and former Chairman of the Council, Wale Akinlosotu described the act as very disheartening, adding that those behind it must be brought to book.
A registered nurse in charge of ODEMSA in the Council, Mrs Olawunmi Orogbemi narrated that the incident happened on Sunday, July 2, 2023 at around 1:42 am.
“I met these two ambulances burnt. We have another hilux, a part of it got burnt as well, but it was quickly taken away from the scene.
” The fire affected part of the building. We got the ambulances in 2014, but we haven’t used them in the last three years, there’s no petrol or battery in the ambulances.
“The case has been reported to the police station and to the head office.”
