By Ndimele Kingsley
Almost immediately the South East Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universties, ASUU, called off its strike that lasted for about six months, full academic activities had resumed at the Abia State University Uturu with both the staff and students working in earnestly to make up for lost time. Students had hastily  trooped back to the school with great joy and expectation on hearing that the school had reopened.

But unknown to them, that joy was soon to be cut short by an inferno that wreaked havoc to the school library, destroying the generator there in the process. The circumstances that led to the incident are yet to be ascertained but some students who spoke with Vanguard Metro traced  the fire to the generator which was said to have malfunctioned after it was put on at about 10am by the operators that fateful day.

According to the students, a   few minutes  after the generator was put on, a loud, noisy sound was  heard which some of the students in the hostel thought was a bomb explosion. The students most of whom were then busy reading and preparing for their forthcoming examinations were rattled by the sound and panickly ran out of their classrooms and hostels, leaving their books and phones behind in a bid to save their lives. But the eventual loss of these items to thieves who took advantage of the resulting confusion to operate was only a small price to pay for escaping harm.

Meanwhile, the sound had been traced to the  school library which was by this time engulfed by a large ball of fire  which was spreading rapidly to the surrounding areas. Information has it that when the fire started, five students who were present at the scene rallied to the support of the operator of the generator in his frantic efforts to  put it off the fire. But their combined efforts came to nought as the fire continued to rage and spread.

The perceived slow response of the school authorities to the development angered some of the students. For instance,  when   an hour later the Registrar of the school Mr Onuoha, arrived the scene together with an Imo State Fire Service truck, the enraged students attempted to chase away the fire officials.  The Registrar quickly intervened and eventually succeeded in calming students. It was then the state fire service joined  the university fire service in tackling the fire and eventually bringing it under control. But this was after it had completely destroyed the school generator.  Thankfully, no lives were lost.

One of the eyewitnesses, a 100 level student of Economics who identified himself as Oby Ukwu Chigozie told Vanguard Metro thus: “We were in the hostel reading our books when we heard a loud noise. We initially thought it was bomb somebody had detonated in the school.

It was later we got to know it was an inferno. It was then we rushed to the scene to see things for ourselves. And what we saw on getting there was indeed shocking. The school library generator was engulfed by a raging fire which was spreading to the surrounding areas.

We tried to quench it  but it was burning out of control. Well we thank God that the fire service eventually succeeded in putting it out.   Presently there is no light on campus since the generator which is  our main source of electricity has been burnt beyond repairs. That means we cannot iron our cloths and do any other thing”.

When Vanguard Metro visited the scene of the incident, charred remains of the burnt generator and other appliances, including  the generator room told their own story.

The Mr. Onuoha who spoke on behalf of the  Vice Chancellor, Professor Chibuzo Ogbuagu said the generator operator did the right thing by putting on the generator exactly 10am. He said it was unfortunate that his action resulted into an  inferno. He also explained why the fire service arrived late, saying:  “There is a misconception about this. You have to follow due protocol before fire service can come. And we should express our gratitude that they eventually came to put out the fire”.

despite that they came to help in putting off the fire. The cause is unpredictable, no student did it. He later ensured the student that they will be power supply to the hostels that there are two stand by generators that student should understand.

When asked by crime alert that there has been rumour in the school that the school will be going on strike again and there will be increament of school fees? He made it known to the student and press men present at the scene of the accident that it is not true that he can dance to it. The school is not going on strike, We have resumed and we are not going back to Egypt we have left Egypt , as for the school fees increament it is a rumour, we have resumed he intoned.  (some of d pix is with OGA EMMA) thanks.