•Union seeks support for reconstruction
By Onuminya Innocent, Sokoto
A catastrophic fire outbreak has completely destroyed the Sokoto State Secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress, erasing more than three decades of vital documents and paralyzing the administrative hub of the state’s labour movement.
The inferno occurred in the early hours of Saturday, around 3:00 a.m., and raged unchecked for nearly an hour before firefighters arrived. By the time the flames were subdued, the entire building had been reduced to rubble.
Secretary of the NLC Sokoto State Council, Hamisu Hussaini Hamisu, who confirmed the incident, said the fire is suspected to have been triggered by an electrical spark. He added that a full technical assessment would be conducted to ascertain the exact cause.
According to Hamisu, the blaze consumed every item in the secretariat. Computers, printers, refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, office furniture, and other equipment were all lost to the fire.
Beyond the physical assets, the most devastating blow was the destruction of critical documents spanning over 30 years. These include congress resolutions, correspondence with government, financial records, affiliate union files, and historical labour agreements dating back to the 1990s.
Hamisu recounted that the security guard on duty discovered the fire but was helpless as it spread with alarming speed. “He tried to contain it, but the flames moved too fast. Within minutes, the whole building was engulfed,” he said.
Eyewitnesses told reporters that the Fire Service arrived at the scene about an hour after the fire started. While the firefighters eventually brought the situation under control, they could only prevent the inferno from spreading to neighbouring structures.
The extent of the damage has been described as total. Union officials who visited the scene confirmed that nothing was salvageable from the charred remains of the secretariat.
The incident has plunged the Sokoto State Council of the NLC into mourning. State labour leaders described the loss as “monumental,” saying the secretariat was not just an office but the institutional memory of the labour movement in Sokoto.
Efforts toward recovery and rebuilding are expected to commence immediately. The Council is appealing to the NLC National Headquarters, the Sokoto State Government, labour-friendly organizations, and well-meaning Nigerians for urgent intervention to reconstruct the office and restore operations.
Pending the rebuilding, the Council said it would set up a temporary administrative desk to ensure that workers’ issues in the state continue to receive attention. An inventory of losses and a preliminary cost estimate are currently being compiled.
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