Minister rescued as fire guts Federal Secretariat

Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, was among scores of people rescued yesterday as fire gutted the Federal Secretariat Complex, Abuja. It was learnt the building went up in flames due to power surge.

The minister was in a meeting with principals of the 104 Federal Government Colleges at the ministry’s podium on second floor of the building, when the fire broke out around 1:30pm. Pandemonium broke out at the complex as civil servants scampered for safety after several efforts to use fire extinguishers to put out the fire failed.

The minister was, however, brought out of the complex unhurt at 1:59p.m. by his security aides while fire service vehicles struggled to enter the complex. Firemen from the Federal Fire Service who arrived the place at 1:56p.m, had difficulty in accessing the location of the fire. Their movements were impeded by human and vehicular traffic around the area.

Shekarau, who was led out of the complex into his car by policemen, left the complex immediately. There were, however, conflicting accounts of the exact point where the fire started.

While the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, who later briefed journalists after taking brief from the fire fighters, said the fire was caused by the electric panel on the fifth floor of the complex, eyewitnesses said the fire started from the 10th floor. She said: “I think the situation is really being managed by the fire service.

I have gone to commend them for their prompt intervention. You can see how many trucks they came along with. I was talking to the man in charge of this operation this afternoon and he assured us that they found the point where the fire started at the fifth floor and that they would get everything under control. But very importantly, we are sure nobody is hurt.

The fire people are working. “The offices are intact. I think the incident was caused by an electric panel or so. Like I said, the fire chief has assured us that they are doing well. But the offices are intact, everybody is safe, nobody is hurt.” The Public Relations Officer of the Federal Fire Service, Mr. Elechi Collins, also told reporters that the fire service had deployed about eight fire-fighting vehicles to the scene.

He also confirmed that no casualty was recorded even as he disclosed that the fire broke out from the fifth floor. “We got a call at 1:35p.m. and of course, our new resolve to attend to the fire promptly.

You could see the number of fire trucks here. We have been able to nip in the bud the spread of this fire. “The fire started from the fifth floor and spread to the sixth floor.

It is a rumour that it started from the 10th floor,” he said. An eyewitness said the fire was caused by a welding work going on, on the 11th floor of the building where an overhead water tank was being constructed. Workers were seen struggling to escape from the 11th floor of the complex when the fire started. Another witness said the fire started from the third floor, adding “we were in the reception on the third floor when we heard a loud noise and we were covered by a thick smoke.”