The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance in Enugu State, Frank Nweke Jr, has commiserated with the management and staff of Solid FM over a fire incident at the station.
This was contained in a statement by Nweke’s Media Campaign Manager, Innocent Dikin, on Saturday in Enugu.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the station, which has been transmitting for 10 years, was gutted by fire on Saturday morning, destroying property worth millions of Naira.
The fire incident occurred between 8am and 9am, but reports had it that the studio was already destroyed before the arrival of firefighters.
According to an eyewitness, the fire erupted from a nearby building, where residents were burning bushes before it spread to the roof of the Solid FM studio.
Arriving at the scene shortly after the incident, Nweke, a former Minister of Information, expressed relief that no life was lost.
He regretted that the incident happened during the harmattan season, and in the midst of unfavourable economic condition.
He said: “Solid FM is a very important voice for our people, for commerce, democracy, human rights and the projection of everything Enugu stands for.
“This studio is one of the best in the state.
“It is my prayer that you are able to bounce back quickly and you can be assured of our support in any way that we can help.
“We need your voice.”
Nweke stated that the incident was a reminder of the need to further strengthen the state’s fire service.
He also said Enugu people should be re-oriented and adequately sensitised about the dangers inherent in bush burning.
He said: “We need to ensure that our emergency response services are well equipped and well trained to respond speedily to these situations.
“It is also important that we educate our citizens on the dangers of open incineration, especially in urban areas.”
NAN reports that Solid FM, located at 10B Savage Crescent, GRA, Enugu, began transmission in 2012 and runs on the frequency of 100.9.