October 6, 2025
Barely a week after the Rivers State governor, Sim Fubara threatened to deal with permanent secretaries who aided the sole administrator, Ibok Ibas, during the six months emergency rule administrator in perpetuating illegal transactions in the state, Podium bloc in the state secretariat where civil servants operate from on Monday gutted by fire.
The incident which occurred at about 4:30pm creating panic in the state with many wondering about the cause of the fire in the 10 story building.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Civil Service Union has alleged that sabotage might not be ruled out from a fire outbreak that gutted the ground floor of the Podium block of the State Secretariat Complex Monday evening.
The ground floor of the block houses Audit and Pension units while the top side houses the Ministry of Establishment.
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Eye witness account said the fire started around 4.30 pm, a few minutes to close of work, as workers and other people ran to douse the fire overly late arrival of fire services.
The State Chairman of State Civil Service Union. Comrade Chukukah Osumah has expressed fears that the incident may not be disconnected from act of sabotage.
He said”, in my years of service and as a civil servant, I have not seen anything like this. This has not happened before.”
The civil service union leader alleged that an act of sabotage cannot be ruled out of the fire incident.
His claim may be a result of the State Governor declaration of investigating some activities of civil servants and complicity during the six months emergency rule in the state.
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However, the Head of Service, Dr. Inyingi Brown, attributed the incidence to electrical fault, stating that no life was lost, and thanked the governor for reviving the state fire service that helped to douse the fire.
Fire services officials from Shell, Agip, Federal and the state stations were on ground to put out the fire.
