THE Information Communication Technology (ICT) office of the wife of the Oyo State governor, Chief (Mrs) Florence Ajimobi, on Saturday, went up in flames as valuables worth millions of naira were destroyed.
The fire, according to sources, was noticed by members of the MITV crew, who saw smoke coming out through the ceiling and alerted officers of the fire service.
Sunday Tribune, however, gathered that the fire, which started at 11:20 a.m. from the server in the office, was as a result of power surge when the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) allegedly restored power more than three times within five minutes.
The office, known as Florence Ajimobi ICT centre for female public and civil servants, was inaugurated by the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, on December 22, 2011.
Before men of the state fire service came around, Sunday Tribune gathered that four fire extinguishers were used to douse the fire.
In an interview with journalists, the Senior Fire Superintendent, Omotayo Paul, who led firefighters to the scene, disclosed that they were alerted around 11:30 a.m. and arrived at the scene of the incident minutes later.
According to him, “we got a distress call about the incident around 11:30 a.m. and got here three minutes later. Under 10 minutes, we were able to put out the fire because of the extent of the damage. We also ensured that we put off all traces of the fire.”
A representative of the Director of Fire Services, Oyo State, Mr O.J. Kareem, revealed that the fire was caused by the failure to put off one of the electrical appliances in the centre.
Some of the items destroyed in the inferno included computers, monitors, chairs, tables, air conditioners, photocopy machines and other ICT equipment.
Source:Tribune
