Fire Guts Business at Technology Incubation Centre, Entrepreneur Loses Millions
Fire Guts Business at Technology Incubation Centre, Entrepreneur Loses Millions
A devastating fire has destroyed goods and property worth millions at the Technology Incubation Centre in Minna, leaving young entrepreneur Mrs. Ogochukwu Tosin Juliana counting her losses. The fire, which broke out in the early hours of the morning, completely consumed her business unit, Ebonext Foods and More, including production machines and goods valued at nearly ₦20 million.
Juliana, who arrived at the scene after receiving frantic calls, was heartbroken to find her workspace reduced to ashes.
“When I woke up this morning, I saw a series of missed calls from the incubation center. So, I called and asked what was happening. He told me that there was a fire outbreak in my unit, that the fire outbreak was no small one. Immediately, I dressed up and started coming to the incubation centre.
“On reaching here, I discovered that everything in my unit was burnt to ashes. There was nothing they could rescue, they were not able to rescue anything due to the late appearance of the fire service. They called the Federal Fire Service who didn’t come before they called the State Fire Service who responded and put off the fire so that it will not get to the remaining units.
“All my appliances, my equipment, my production machines, everything got burnt. From the grinding machine to the packaging machines, everything got burnt. I have a production that I just did last Thursday worth about ₦2 million meant for distribution this week, all got burnt in the fire,” she lamented.
One of the security officers on duty, Shittu Ladan, stated that the fire was first noticed during a routine night patrol, prompting them to raise an alarm. However, the Federal Fire Service declined to respond, claiming it was outside their jurisdiction.
“We called the Federal Fire Service which is close by, but they said it was not within their jurisdiction. It was only after we called the State Fire Service that we were able to put off the fire. Unfortunately, by then, the fire had already done significant damage.”
The fire, believed to have been caused by an electrical spark, was contained within Juliana’s unit but completely wiped out her business.
Engineer Nathaniel Kojoko, a staff member in the centre’s technical department, described the fire as an unprecedented event at the facility and called for urgent intervention.
“This is a very unfortunate incident. We have never witnessed something like this here before,” he said. “We appeal to the federal government and other people to support her in rebuilding her business. This will alleviate a little pain from our sister. But it’s a very, very, very bad incident that we have never witnessed in this centre.
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“The aim of the center is to empower entrepreneurs. So the government cannot leave the entrepreneurs like that when something happens to her. We will do our best to help her start her business all over again.”
Juliana has also appealed to the Niger State Government and the Technology Incubation Centre management for support, expressing hope that assistance will come to help her rebuild.
“I believe that God will raise assistance for me. I hope the government and the centre will help me start again,” she said, her voice heavy with emotion.
This tragic incident has once again highlighted the need for improved fire service response and better safety measures for small businesses operating in incubation hubs.
