Commissioner loses passport, certificates to fire

The Akwa Ibom Commissioner for Works, Mr

But the commissioner, who spoke with newsmen on Monday, regretted report by online media that the fire also gutted N33 million in his vault.

A statement by the Information Officer, Ministry of Works, Mrs Ubong Ante, expressed sadness that mischief makers were taking undue advantage over the unfortunate incident.

According to the statement, no such amount of money was kept at the home of the commissioner.

The statement urged Akwa Ibom people to disregard the story as being mere speculations without iota of truth.

According to the statement, Inyangenyen deeply appreciates the show of love and solidarity from friends and well wishers that had shown their concern over the incident.

In another development, a seamstress, Ms Eno Unah, 36, from Ibesikpo Asutant Local Government Area, also expressed sadness over the loss of her property worth millions of naira to fire that gutted her residence at 25, Etim Okon Usanga Street, Nwana Iba, Uyo on Monday.

Unah, a political science education graduate of the University of Uyo turned seamstress, stated that her particular concern was the loss of her certificates from primary school to a university degree to the inferno.

She attributed the cause of the fire to carelessness from one of her neighbours, adding that she was not at home at the time of the incident.

She told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the inferno was not connected with electrical spark as the electricity company had disconnected them from power supply a month ago.

She, however, expressed happiness that no life was lost in the incident.

“I wasn’t around when the fire incident occurred. Somebody called me and said, ‘Eno fire has destroyed everything in your house,’ I started shedding tears.

“I had to trace where the fire came from. It was later I discovered that the fire came through a neighbour’s carelessness. All my certificates, from primary school to university are gone,” she said.

Unah appealed to the state government and spirited individuals for help, adding that she does not have where to stay at the moment.

When contacted, the Chief Fire Officer in the state, Mr Ndarake Ukpe, advised residents to ensure safety tips by putting off all electrical appliances before leaving home or their business premises to avoid fire outbreak.