Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, on Friday paid an unscheduled visit to a facility linked to Nigerian Breweries Plc in Aba following a fire outbreak on Thursday, urging sustained preparedness and stronger safety measures.
The visit was to assess the level of damage after the inferno, which occurred at an open space leased from the Nigerian Railway Corporation.
Governor Otti commended the swift response of the Abia State Fire Service, describing its intervention as timely and effective in preventing further damage.
The fire, which broke out around 3:20 p.m. on Thursday, was contained before 6:00 p.m. and reportedly affected only empty crates without bottles, with no casualties recorded.
Speaking at the site, Otti expressed gratitude that the incident was not more severe, while stressing the importance of continuous emergency preparedness.
“Looking at that place, it’s probably the last place that you’d expect to have a fire incident because it was just on its own, in an open field, so anything could have happened,” he said.
“It could be a match, it could be a cigarette or anything, but you should be prepared, like the Boy Scouts will say, while we pray it doesn’t happen again.”
The governor said he closely monitored the situation but initially did not realise it involved Nigerian Breweries due to the location of the facility.
“It was much later after the incident had been contained that I knew it was a Nigerian Breweries facility because it is far away from here,” he said, adding that digital tracking did not immediately identify the company.
Otti assured that his administration would continue to provide an enabling environment for businesses in the state, noting that the government’s responsibility is to support investors to thrive.
“What the government owes investors is an enabling environment for their business to continue to do well, and that is what the new Abia speaks about,” he added.
Conducting the governor round the site, the Brewery Manager, represented by Chief Engineer Benjamin Okore, clarified that the affected area was not part of the main brewing plant.
He said the company’s emergency response system was activated immediately the fire was detected, before external support was called in, including the state fire service.
Okore noted that the fire was fully extinguished before 6:00 p.m. through coordinated efforts, adding that the company was still assessing the extent of damage.
He commended the Abia State Fire Service for its role in bringing the situation under control.
The governor was accompanied on the visit by the Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa, the mayors of Aba North and Aba South LGAs, and other senior government officials.
