ONC Renews Call For Functional Fire Service As Fire Razes Section Of Ahoada Main Motor Park

A section of the Ahoada Main Motor Park was gutted by fire in the early hours of Friday, October 23, 2026, destroying goods and property worth millions of Naira.

 

Preliminary findings indicate the inferno may have been triggered by an electrical appliance left switched on overnight in one of the shops.

The fire was contained through the efforts of local residents, majority of whom were members of the Hausa community in the park. Armed with plastic buckets, they fetched water mixed with detergent from nearby boreholes and gutters and fought the fire throughout the night, preventing the entire park from being razed. About one-fifth of the park was, however, lost.

Reacting to the incident, the President-General of the Orashi National Congress, ONC, Amb. Comrade Emeni Ibe, said the loss could have been avoided if the Fire Service Station in Ahoada had been functional.

“Had the Fire Service Station in Ahoada been functional, the fire would have been contained immediately without this colossal loss,” Ibe said.

He lamented that Ahoada Town has witnessed recurring fire outbreaks in recent years, with shops, homes and business premises destroyed, throwing families into hardship and crippling the local economy.

Ibe described it as painful and unacceptable that a Fire Service Station has already been built in Ahoada Town but remains unequipped, unstaffed and non-functional.

The ONC President-General therefore appealed to the Rivers State Government, the Ministry of Special Duties and the Rivers State Fire Service Board to urgently equip the station.

He called for the provision of functional modern fire trucks, water tankers and firefighting equipment, deployment of trained personnel, constant water supply and operational logistics for rapid emergency response, provision of an emergency hotline and community sensitization on fire prevention, and regular funding for maintenance and sustainability of the station.

 

“Ahoada is the headquarters of Ahoada East Local Government Area, the nerve centre of Orashi Region, Rivers West Senatorial District and a major commercial hub. It cannot continue to depend on fire services from Port Harcourt that arrive hours late, after damage has been done,” Ibe said.

 

He stressed that equipping the station is not a luxury but a necessity for safety of lives, protection of businesses and economic stability of the people.