The private office of Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, located within the precinct of Bola Ige House in Abere was on Monday gutted by fire, causing apprehension in Osogbo, the state capital.
When Tribune Online initially called the media adviser, Mr Sola Fausre to confirm the incident, his phone rang without response.
But on a visit to Bola Ige House, around 7.04 pm, where the office of Aregbesola is located, two firefighting trucks, belonging to Osun State Fire Service were spotted at the frontage of the Governor’s Office, just as policemen numbering over 20 with their patrol vans prevented journalists from taking pictures.
However, when some journalists accosted the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Lani Baderinwa, who was heading to the private office of the governor, he promised to issue a statement on the incident
Efforts made by reporters to gain entry into the office were thwarted as operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) mounting guard said only the Commissioner for Information was allowed inside the office.
However, in a statement endorsed by Baderinwa, which was forwarded to our correspondent, “the fire incident was as a result of power surge which occurred in one of the air conditioners inside the office of the Governor.
The statement reads, “it is heartening to note that not a single document, nor equipment was destroyed and nobody was hurt. We reiterate that every document in the governor’s office is intact. The fire mainly affected the office of the Governor alone; no other office is affected.
“It is not a serious fire outbreak. It is regrettable that the electricity suppliers have been persistently unable to regulate the supply of power to meet the necessary standard. Many Nigerians have lost their properties to power surges and another electrical malfunctioning.