OHAKIM, ANPP COMMISERATE WITH FRCN OVER INFERNO

GOVERNOR Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State last week paid a sympathy visit to the management of Heartland FM of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Owerri, over the fire outbreak, which destroyed some parts of the station, including the gigantic power-generating set estimated to cost about N1.5 million.

Ohakim, who donated a 280KVA power-generating set to the station, stressed the need for the Federal Government to provide adequate security and fire-fighting equipment in such stations.

He directed the Commissioner for Public Utilities and Rural Development to provide the station with mobile power-generating set. General Manager of the station, Chika Emerenwa, who received the governor, maintained that the station's management under him would continue to render unbiased services according to its mandate.

He said when the fire started, he quickly worked with his staffers to contact state fire service but regretted that after two-and-a-half hours, there was no response. Rather, he was referred to fire service officials at Government House, Owerri.     According to him, he intensified efforts to put the fire off, which prevented it from engulfing other parts of the station.

On his part, the Imo State Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Vitalis Orikeze Ajumbe, has called on those concerned to put the station back to life.

In a statement to Emerenwa and made available to The Guardian in Owerri, Ajumbe said: 'ANPP Imo State received with shock the fire incident that destroyed our Heartland FM 100.5. We sympathise with you and your management. We are pained by this ugly incident, which happened at this time when the opposition political parties in the station used your services as their mouth-piece due to your neutrality in service delivery. Please efforts should be made quickly by all concerned to bring the station back to life'.