Obiano Visits, Condoles with Patterson College which Lost One Student in Inferno

By Ikeugonna Eleke

The Anambra State governor, Willie Obiano, has visited and condoled with the Management of Patterson Memorial Grammar School in Onitsha, where one student died in a fire incident that gutted the school dormitory, recently.

Eyewitness account stated that the fire started in the early hours of Saturday, January 8, just as the students had returned to the school after the yuletide holidays, killing one student identified as Chinagorom and beyond recognition.

Governor Obiano, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Solo Chukwulobelu, during the visit, inspected the scene of the fire, while expressing shock over the level of damage.

‘We thank God that 90 percent of the students were not at the hostel when the fire started.

‘We console the Anglican Communion and the family of the deceased, and pray God to give them the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss,’Chukwulobelu said.

The Governor, speaking through the SSG,disclosed that the state government would put necessary measures in place to ensure that such ugly incident did not repeat itself in schools and assured that the state government would assist the school to rebuild the hostel.

The State Fire Chief, Martin Agbili, said the fire incident was traced to power surge, and advised organizations, agencies and homes to imbibe the attitude of safety management in their facilities and assured that the agency would embark on aggressive sensitization on fire safety management in schools and public places.

He advised people to imbibe the habit of putting off their electrical gadgets when not in use, especially in the harmattan season to avoid any form of fire outbreak.