ASHENEWS reports that a devastating fire outbreak has destroyed an entire business unit, Ebonext Foods, at the Technology Incubation Centre in Minna, wiping out millions of naira worth of goods and equipment.
The tragedy, which could have been mitigated, was worsened by the failure of the Federal Fire Service to respond promptly to distress calls.
It was learnt that the Federal Fire was contacted because of its closeness to the center but the officer on duty said that the Center is not under the federal government and they do not offer services to agencies or organizations that are not under the federal government.
A search, however, showed that the Technology Incubation Centre is under the National Board for Technology Incubation which is also under the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology.
Mrs Ogochukwu Tosin Juliana, the entrepreneur operating the business unit who engages in thebproduction of kuli-kuli otherwise known as groundnut biscuits, lost all her production machines, raw materials, and goods worth over N20 million.
“”When I woke up this morning, I saw a series of missed calls from the incubation center. So, I called and asked what was happening. He told me that there was a fire outbreak in my unit that the fire outbreak was no small one. Immediately, I dressed up and started coming to the incubation center.
“On reaching here, I discovered that everything in my unit was burnt to ashes. There was nothing they could rescue, they were not able to rescue anything due to the late appearance of the fire service. They called the Federal Fire Service who didnt come before they called the State Fire Service who responded and put off the fire so that it will not get to the remaining units.
“All my appliances, my equipment, my production machines, everything got burnt. From the grinding machine to the packaging machines, everything got burnt. I have a production of kuli-kuli that I just did last Thursday worth about N2 million meant for distribution this week, all got burnt in the fire,” she lamented devastated by the incident.
Security personnel on duty disclosed that they noticed the fire early and immediately contacted the Federal Fire Service. However, instead of acting swiftly, the Federal Fire Service refused to respond, claiming the centre was not within their jurisdiction.
According to security officer, Shittu Ladan, the delay caused the fire to burn down the business unit because the state fire service which is located in Bosso could not get to Tunga where the Center is located on time to savage the situation.
“We alerted the Federal Fire Service immediately we saw smoke coming from the unit, but they said they couldn’t respond because the centre was not a federal agency. They said it was not in their jurisdiction to come to any agency that is not a federal agency. It was only after another contact reached out to the State Fire Service that help arrived—an hour later. By then, the fire had already consumed everything,” he revealed.
Engineer Nathaniel, a staff member in the centre’s technical department, said that the fire did not originate from an external power failure but was likely caused by an internal spark.
“If the Federal Fire Service had responded when they first called, the damage would have been far less. Instead, an entrepreneur has lost everything,” he said.
He also expressed concern over the extent of the damage, calling it an unprecedented event in the centre. “This is a very unfortunate incident. We have never witnessed something like this here before,” he said, adding that the centre would escalate the matter to the zonal director and the Director-General for possible intervention.
“We appeal to the federal government and other people to support her in rebuilding her business. This will alleviate a little pain from our sister. But it’s a very, very, very bad incident that we have never witnessed in this centre.
“The aim of the center is to empower entrepreneurs. So the government cannot leave the entrepreneurs like that when something happens to her. We will do our best to help her start her business all over again.”
The Technology Incubation Centre, which is a federal government establishment, was expected to receive immediate emergency response from the Federal Fire Service. However, their failure to act resulted in the complete destruction of a business that took over a year to build.
Now, Mrs. Juliana is left with nothing, hoping that the government and the centre’s management will come to her aid in rebuilding her business, “I believe that God will raise help for me, but I hope the government will not abandon me. I also hope the government and the centre will help me start again,” she said, her voice heavy with emotion.
