A building under renovation at the Adventist Grammar School, Ede by the Old Students Association, was completely razed by fire on Wednesday 18th January 2023. The cause of the fire was unknown.
Public spirited individuals helped in putting the raging fire under control as calls to the Osun State Fire Service, located a few meters from the school were not responded to as the service claimed it had no water and petrol in their fire -fighting vehicle to help put out the fire.
The razed building was one of the major renovation works embarked upon by the current national executive members of the Old Boys Association, under the leadership of Alhaji Gbadegesin Lawal to give some buildings in the 63-year old school a complete face lift.
Speaking to Tribune Online on the development, an old student of the school, Mr Olumide Lawal, said “over N3.4 million has been injected into the burnt building, majorly out of the voluntary donations from well-spirited members of the Adventist Grammar School, Ede Old Students Association at home and in the Diaspora.”
Against the development, the school’s alumni association has enjoined its members not to relent in their unparalleled efforts at making their Alma Matter the best among the secondary schools in Osun State, while calling on the state government to give a helping hand in salvaging the situation at hand.
But while reacting to the claim about the ineffectiveness of the fire service, a source at the Osun State Fire service who preferred anonymity told our reporter that, it is true that, virtually all equipment in the state fire service are presently obsolete.
The source who stated that,this has really crippled their operational systems in all the nooks and crannies of the state charged the state governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke to speedily assist the agency by providing it modern fire service equipment that would enhance their job.
He thereafter sympathized with people of the state on the epileptic services being provided for them whenever there is fire- outbreaks and charged them to bear with them, for it goes beyond their abilities.
However, all calls put across to the Public Relations Officer of the state Fire Service, Mr. Ibrahim Adekunle to comment on the matter proved abortive as, calls put across to him, were not going through.
Meanwhile, Osun state governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke’s spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed while reacting to the development, said, the present administration in the state is just spending few weeks now in power and assured residents of the state that, all areas needed to be attended to, would receive adequate attention in no distance time.
The governor who stated that, various Committees put in place to identify certain problems militating against the progress of the state had commenced with their various assignments and very soon, their reports would be submitted for through scrutiny for action.
Mallam Olawale explained that, submission of the different Committees reports including that of the state fire service, would help the administration to discover anomalies and prepare to get them addressed.
The spokesperson further affirmed that, this present administration in the state, is a committed one to people’s welfare and pledged that, it would not let it’s people down.
