The Media Centre of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja was on Friday engulfed by fire.
It became the third federal government agency to have its building gutted by fire in less than 10 days. On Wednesday, April 8, part of the six storey building office of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) near the old Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) complex in Garki district of Abuja was gutted by fire.
Two days ago, the sixth floor of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in the Maitama district of Abuja was engulfed by fire.
Spokesperson of the Federal Fire Service, Mr Ugo Huan, however said that the fire could not cause much damage as it was immediately put out by fire-fighters.
National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, Mr Festus Okoye, said that apart from some furniture damaged in the inferno, all other sensitive materials and equipment remained intact.
According to him, “today, 17th April 2020, a fire outbreak occurred at a section of the building housing the Election and Party Monitoring Department and the Media Centre. The building is an annex, detached from the main building of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s headquarters. Firefighters attached to the Commission swiftly responded to contain the inferno and they were later joined by their colleagues from the Federal Fire Service headquarters in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“The fire was extinguished within a short period of time and did not cause any substantial damage to the building. “Apart from some office furniture and equipment, nothing sensitive was destroyed. Reports of party primaries and conventions are intact. The campaign finance database is also not affected. The incident will therefore not affect the administrative or technical operations of the Commission in any way. “Meanwhile, investigation into the cause(s) of the fire incident has commenced.”