The lawmaker representing Aninri Constituency in Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Chinedu Okwu, has urged residents of the state to take steps towards preventing fire outbreaks in their environments.
Okwu made the call in Enugu, yesterday, when he visited the scene of a classroom block recently gutted by fire at Nenwe Girls Secondary School.
The lawmaker stated that in the dry season, it had become expedient for residents to cultivate the habit of being cautious against fire outbreaks.
“It is our collective duty to protect our environment, part of it is to be safety conscious. We should take steps towards preventing this kind of incidents.
“We should not leave the environment bushy, we should not allow bushes close to buildings, we are in a dry period when fire can ignite easily,” he said.
Okwu who described the fire incident as unfortunate, urged stakeholders and members of the public to support the effort of government towards cushioning the effect of the inferno.
Also speaking during the visit, the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Uche Eze, urged the school management to be more safety conscious.
“Bushes should not be allowed as close as six metres to buildings, it is our duty to protect ourselves and our working environments.
“Whichever way we look at it, the fire incident will affect the school community in one way or the other, so we must be very cautious,” Eze said.
The school’s Principal, Mrs Rebecca Adumike said that the burnt classroom block had been in a dilapidated state before her transfer to the school in October 2019.
“Initially we did not allow students to use the block, we were forced to put junior students there because of shortage of facility,” Adumike said.
Chief Zonal Supervisory Principal, Mrs Rose Eze, described the incident as disheartening, saying, “desks and books belonging to the students were burnt,”.