The Okeke female hostel at University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, was gutted by fire last night. According to an eye-witness, the fire started as a result of a spark from the wire when the school generator supplied power to the hostel. This is the worst fire incident in the university as neither the Dean of student affairs, the director of works department nor the Chairman of Servicom who came around was able to save the situation. After the cut is how a student narrated what happened...
Most painful is that men of the fire service who came around were incapacitated as they had no water. Even the director of works could not do anything. Lack of water in both the hostel and the neighbouring outing ones made even students who came to rescue the situation handicapped. Finally, men of the fire service returned after the whole of 300 series which is a total of 34 rooms had perished, thereby rendering 136 or more students homeless and useless as all their documents, property, and even possibly, compulsory laptops for which some are yet to pay up, have all gone up in ashes. A student who is an honourable member of the House of Representatives said she has written so many times about the connections to the appropriate quarters without any response. There is no functional fire service in the whole University town of Nsukka. The wild fire which is akin to what I watch in American horror movies could have been controlled if the works department of the school is well equipped. I would want to believe that the university administration will adequately compensate the victims; some of who are already enjoying their xmas holiday. In just a year, 3 female hostels in UNN had had fire accident. First it was Okpara hostel, then Aja-Nwachukwu and now Okeke.
