Old Boys Raise The Alarm Over Incessant Fire Outbreaks

Members of Igbanke Grammar School, Igbanke Old Students Association, Edo State, have expressed worry over incessant destruction of their alma mater’s building, equipment and materials by “mysterious fire outbreaks.”

The president of the association, Mr Jacob Erhabor, in a statement yesterday, lamented over the recent fire outbreak in the school which razed down the examination hall of the college.

Erhabor decried the ugly development which he noted had continued to set the school backward in terms of infrastructural development, calling on the Edo State Ministry of Education to take decisive step to stop future occurrence in the school.

Further describing the incident as worrisome, the association’s president said that the incident which occured on Wednesday, January 28, this year has since been reported to the State’s Ministry of Education.

To this end, Erhabor called on the state government to install perimeter fence across the school which he noted would serve as a lasting solution to the incessant fire outbreak in the school.

“The school is surrounded by farm lands and, the school authority has little or no control over their (Farmers) activities. Perimeter fencing could be a lasting solution to future fire outbreaks in the School”, Erhabor said.

“The fire which started from a neighbouring community, Ekpon, spread to the school compound around 5.30pm and it razed down the examination hall completely.

“With the effort of teachers, students and people from the neighbourhood, the fire was prevented from spreading to other buildings in the school”, he stated.

It would be recalled that the association, few years ago, between 2021 and 2023, spent nearly N25 million for the renovation of dilapidated buildings and other infrastructure in the school.