Mills Photos, Flags Burnt

By William Yaw Owusu

Thursday February 18, 2010
But for the vigilance of some drivers and swift response by the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), the printing section of the Ministry of Information, which also serves as a store for the Information Services Department (ISD), would have been consumed by fire.

The fire gutted paraphernalia including flags and portraits of President Atta Mills, which were meant for the celebration of the 53rd Independence anniversary celebrations on March 6, 2010.

It is the second fire incident at the Ministry in less than a year, as the office of a deputy Minister of Information, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, was destroyed by fire in the middle of last year.

These series of fire incidents have prompted the out-going Minister of Information, Zita Okaikoi, not to rule out the actions of saboteurs who might be working against the interest of the state.

Within the last couple of months, a number of public institutions have either being completely razed down by fire or partly destroyed.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry building was completely burnt, with parts of Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) also suffering a similar calamity as well as the Metro Education Office at Kinbu in Accra, which was burnt to ashes.

The fire comes in the wake of a similar misfortune that befell former President Jerry John Rawlings and his family at his official residence at Ridge, Accra on the dawn of Valentine’s Day when the whole building was razed down to ashes by fire.

The persistent outbreak of fire, especially on state property, is becoming a source of worry for the government and all concerned.

When DAILY GUIDE visited the scene at about 2:12 pm, scores of workers at the vicinity had gathered, with the firemen busily making sure everything was under control.

Three bales of national flags which caught fire were removed from the room and thrown in front of the entrance.

The building, located right behind the Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) structure, had been fenced with security wires.

The out-going Minister of Information, Mrs. Zita Okaikoi, her two deputies: James Agyenim-Boateng and Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, Rose Bio Atinga and a team of investigators, some top officers from the Police Headquarters, the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and other representatives from other security agencies were at the scene.

Prince Billy Anaglatey, Assistant Divisional Public Relations Officer of the GNFS, said they received the call at exactly 1:09 pm and it took them six minutes to get to the scene and an additional 20 minutes to calm things down.

“There was a lot of smoke in the inner room where the fire started as it was smoldering, but there was no oxygen so we had to ventilate the area,” he added.

He disclosed that the room was packed with bales of material, adding that there could have been a major disaster if more bales had caught fire without any swift response.

Mrs. Okaikoi, in an interview, said she suspected foul play, saying, “I believe it is sabotage. Fire outbreaks are getting too many. We have called the BNI to conduct thorough investigations into this matter.”

She said President J.E.A. Mills has already directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to rewire all buildings, explaining that “we have started ours”.

She also said the bales, which were almost destroyed by fire, were flags and other paraphernalia meant for the celebration of the 53rd Independence anniversary celebrations on March 6, 2010.