Thunderstorm sparks fire, sacks Ekiti pupils

A fire ignited by a thunderstorm on Sunday razed the building of Saint Peter’s Primary School in Igbemo, Ekiti State.

The building, comprising five blocks of classrooms, was burnt when a thunder strike reportedly ignited a fire during a stormy downpour that lasted for over an hour.

Consequent upon the incident, the teachers at the school on Monday morning relocated the pupils to a contiguous school, AUD Pilot Nursery Primary School, to continue with their learning.

The governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, who paid an inspection visit to the affected school on Monday, promised to rebuild the destroyed structure for the pupils to return to their base without delay.

The governor, represented by the Deputy Governor, Mrs Monisade Afuye, during the visit, lamented the incident and consequent dislodgement of pupils of the affected school from their original base.

Oyebanji said, “The structure razed down will be rebuilt in due course so that the pupils and teachers can heave a sigh of relief after the fire incident.

“I am saddened by this fire caused by a mysterious thunder strike. Though the structure had been burnt, we are happy that no life was lost, because it happened when the pupils and teachers were at home.

“Most interesting to me was the way you immediately relocated the pupils to a nearby school. This shows the commitment of the State Universal Basic Education Board to the academic growth of these pupils and the need for them to be at par with their colleagues in other schools.

“We are assuring you that the structure shall be rebuilt back to normal shape so that the pupils and teachers can return to their original school in no distant time,” he said.

The governor, while also reacting to complaints by the teachers of AUD Pilot, Nursery And Primary School over how some residents of the area were piling refuse and defecating within the school premises, ordered that the unhealthy practices be halted with immediate effect.

He expressed worries that allowing such to continue could expose the pupils to infectious diseases that could be injurious to their lives and those of the teachers.

The Education Secretary, Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area, Mrs Adesola George-Ojo, said completion of the perimeter fencing around the school would help in stemming the tide of open defecation within the school.

George-Ojo said the school had been battling with such unwholesome acts for ages, adding that it was time to stop such unhygienic practices to avert the breakdown of diseases within the school and the community at large.