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Enugu Fire Outbreak: Residents hail Gov. Ugwuanyi’s quick intervention
Following the fire outbreak at a petrol station along Nike Lake road by Penoks Junction, Trans Ekulu, Enugu, on Monday, residents of the area have commended the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for the swift intervention and expertise displayed by officers and men of Enugu State Fire Service in putting out the fire, without any loss of life.
The inferno according to eye witnesses was caused by a truck discharging liquefied gas at the filling station, which lost control and hit the dispensing nozzle and ignited the fire.
The State Fire Service upon receiving a distress call rushed to the scene and put out the fire which affected just the petrol station, a commercial bus, a transformer, three shops and a residential building, shortly before Gov. Ugwuanyi, his deputy, Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, the Speaker of the State Assembly, Rt. Hon. Edward Ubosi and the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Danmallam Mohammed arrived the venue.
Reacting to the development, excited residents of the area, who cheered the governor for his presence and show of concern, expressed delight at the commitment, bravery and professionalism exhibited by the men and officers of the State Fire Service, stressing that this is the first time an inferno of such magnitude occurred without any loss of life.
They applauded Gov. Ugwuanyi for repositioning the State Fire Service by providing it with sophisticated equipment, experienced personnel and other necessary logistics to discharge their duties efficiently.
Mr. Vincent Okonkwo, a near-by shop owner said: “Gburugburu (Ugwuanyi) has surprised us today. If you were here when this fire started, you will not believe that these fire men would quench it. We thought that was the end of everything we have, our shops, houses, vehicles and even the lives of people around here.
“In short, I saw hell today. But the way the fire service people worked to stop this fire. We say thank you to God and our governor and those that quenched it”.
Another resident, Mrs. Priscilla Udeh said: “We are very grateful to God for saving us from this danger. We equally thank our governor, Gburugburu, for sending these people on time to come and stop this dangerous fire. God is truly with us in this state.
“The governor has shown us that we are protected in this state because what happened here now is very serious and dangerous. But as you can see, nobody died. It is just these shops and that filling station. We sincerely thank God, we thank our governor too. May God bless him and grant him his heart’s desire”.
Arriving the scene, Gov. Ugwuanyi, who expressed profound gratitude to God that no life was lost, commended the State Fire Service for the efficient and quick intervention, and equally thanked the people in the neigbourhood for their cooperation.
The governor maintained that Enugu State is safe, stressing that with the report that no life was lost, “I am now convinced more than ever before that Enugu State is truly in the hands of God”.
He sympathized with the victims and promised to take immediate action to ameliorate the pains and replace the burnt transformer for the people of the area to continue to enjoy power supply. The governor therefore, directed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to commence action in that regard.
Earlier, the State Fire Officer, Mr. Okwudili Oha, disclosed that the fire outbreak was massive, pointing out that it would have done serious damage if not for the quick intervention of the State Fire Service.
The Fire Officer thanked the residents for their support and cooperation and particularly the governor for equipping and repositioning the establishment, which he said made the work easy for them.
He therefore, appealed to the public to take precautionary measures and be vigilant to avert further fire outbreak in the state, especially in this period of Harmattan.
The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
The Guild of Private Broadcast Managers has extended its heartfelt congratulations to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary.
In a congratulatory message signed by the Guild’s National President, Ambassador Patrick Uzoyi-Peters, JP MNGRM, the guild described the milestone as a testament to the NUJ’s unwavering commitment to upholding press freedom, journalistic integrity, and the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.
“For seven decades, the NUJ has played a pivotal role in shaping the media landscape, advocating for the rights and welfare of journalists, and ensuring that the voice of the people remains strong and unyielding. Your resilience, professionalism, and dedication to ethical journalism have been instrumental in fostering transparency, accountability, and national development”.
Celebrating this historic achievement, the Guild’s President, Uzoyi-Peters recognized the sacrifices and contributions of journalists across the nation who work tirelessly to inform, educate, and empower society.
The Guild reiterated it commitment towards collaborating with the NUJ in promoting responsible journalism and strengthening the media industry for the greater good.
While wishing the NUJ continued success, growth, and greater impact in the years ahead, President Uzoyi-Peters prayed that the anniversary serve as a renewed call to uphold the principles of truth, fairness, and press freedom in our collective pursuit of a more informed and just society.
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