By Oladimeji Abitogun, Oluwarantimi Akinsiku and Okpor Murphy Onyekachukwu
A building owned by the South Western Nigerian Conglomerate, Oodua Group, has been razed by a mysterious inferno, at the Ondo State Trade Fair Complex,
Igbatoro Road, Akure. The fire incident which gutted the factory complex, was said to have occurred late Friday night, long after workers had already closed from work.
The building was operated on behalf of Oodua Group by the Ondo State Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (O.S.C.I.M.A). A small business, Megadots 2 Limited, owned by Mr. Bisi Ogungbemi, the former chairman of Akoko North East Local Government, was operating from the building. The mini business was completely destroyed. The fire which burnt throughout the weekend was still smouldering on Monday.
Sharpedgenews.com reports that efforts to put the fire out started a little too late. It took the Federal Fire Service men drafted from the local Akure Airport, about thirty minutes to make it to the scene. It was not clear if the fire was caused by chemical explosion.
Megadots 2 Limited, makes furniture and mixes paints.
Sources at the company blamed power surge from the public transmission and distribution companies for the destructive fire. Yet the possibility of lightening as a cause has not been ruled out. In a country where economic recession is a critical reality the small business operating from the burnt structure must have taken a decisive hit given the fact that such ventures are rarely insured in Nigeria.
Indeed, the volume of loss is estimated at several millions only rubbles, piles and bellowing smokes are the indications of the lively business that once thrived there.