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From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
Old students of Adventist Grammar School, Ede, have advised the government of Osun State to make fire service functional as fire razed classrooms worth over N3 million.
A 1965/1969 set of the school, Olumide Lawal, in a statement, said the building being renovated by the old students was completely razed by fire on Wednesday, January 18, 2023.
He said calls to the Osun State Fire Service, located a few meters away from the school, were not responded to as personnel claimed they had no water and petrol in their fire-fighting vehicle to help put out the fire.
Said Lawal: “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 Algarkirk Gbadegesin Lawal, to give some buildings in the 63-year-old school a complete facelift.
“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.
“We, therefore, call on the Osun State government to make Osun State Fire Service more effective and functional, to make it meets its statutory responsibility of providing quality service to the people, while nobody prays for such an ugly incident.
“The school alumni association enjoins its members not to relent in their efforts at making their alma mater the best among the comity of secondary schools in Osun State, while calling on the state government to give a helping hand in salvaging the situation at hand,” he said.
Meanwhile, efforts to reach Ibaheem Adekunle, spokesperson of the Osun fire service proved abortive.
But, a source in the service said the problem in Ede is not lack of water or fuel but non-functional vehicles.
The source said personnel of the service are reporting to the station every day but lacked functional vehicles to carry out their duty.
