Fire destroys Multi Million Naira National Health Centre in Ondo

A Federal government project, the multi million naira National Primary Health Centre in Ikare Akoko the headquarters of Akoko northeast local government has been gutted by fire.

An eyewitness told our correspondent that the fire incident occured through indiscriminate bush burning in the area.

Some residents also alleged the federal government of abandoning the facility which was supposed to provide health care services to them.

The project as indicated on the signboard at the entrance of the building is a constituency project of a former member of the house of representatives Mr Stephen Olemija when he represented the Akoko Northwest and Akoko Northeast constituency.

Our correspondent who visited the site of the burnt project along Ogbagi Akoko road saw people in groups and in sorrowful mood, discussing the magnitude of the loss and what they would have gained from the project had it not been abandoned.

In an interview, a Civil Servant, Mrs Margaret Owati hinted that residents around the facility made frantic efforts to put the fire under control but the perimeter fence of the project remained a serious obstacle as no one could scale through it.

Mrs Owatii explained that Men of the fire service in Ikare Akoko Complained of lack of functional vehicle when they were contacted as the fire was raging.

A community Leader in Ikare Akoko, Chief Teddy Ojuolape described the fire incident as unfortunate and a colossal loss considering the huge fund committed into the project but which was later abandoned.

Chief Ojuolape however called for a probe into the incident.

Other residents advocated legislation against bush burning while government should equip the fire service adequately to make them perform optimally.

This will be the second fire incident on government facilities within a year as a Muilti Million Naira Power Station belonging to the Federal Goverment and situated in Oke Agbe akoko was last year gutted by fire due to what can be described as abandonment of the project.