Special on-the-spot-report By Bob MajiriOghene Etemiku, our Abuja Correspondent
From the charred remains from the inferno that scorched NEXT nearly to cinders, are varying kinds of accounts of what really happened.
When Alltimepost.com visited NEXT today December 27, 2021, explosions from burning items could still be heard, and smoke still billowed from the building.
Julius Berger ambulances said to have rescued the entire building from burning to the ground were still around and about battling the remaining fires.
In addition to the Abuja harmattan haze, another haze that burnt nostrils as one inhaled any breathe of air swayed and took over the entire scene of the incident.
An eyewitness who spoke to Alltimepost.com said that on Boxing Day, December 26, he noticed smoke from the building about 9am.
“Then suddenly, there was a massive explosion which sent certain items into the air, and into the buildings opposite the NEXT building. We all began to run for our dear lives.
“Much later, some of us mustered the courage to come back and we started helping to move whatever we could from the building. By this time the police were already here. They helped to prevent any kind of looting of anything from the burning building.
“There were some people trying to but the police dispersed them with tear gas. If not for the effort of Julius Berger, everything would have burnt down. Before they came, we tried to fight the fire with the fire extinguishers inside the premises but most were empty,” the eyewitness told Alltimepost.com correspondent.
Even though there were still a number of journalists and onlookers trooping in to the scene of the incident, only employees were allowed in the morning after. Most wore very sorrowful faces.
Even though they were tight-lipped, and visitors and sympathizers were forbidden from gaining any kind of entry into the once-magnificent shopping mall, one of the staff members told Alltimepost.com that the incident will pass very soon.
“None of us was on duty when the fire started and we are optimistic that NEXT will bounce back shortly,” he said with a sense of optimism.
But to some, the prospect that NEXT will bounce back that soon remains uncertain. One group of eyewitnesses told Alltimepost.com that the intensity of the fire fell the walls and burnt everything in its wake to the ground.
“If there will be any kind of bouncing back for NEXT, it will take about a year from today because the fire burned even the walls and they fell down. If you patch that kind of wall, it will come down again. Instead, it will be better to build again from the ground,” the eyewitness said.
At the scene of the incident, goods said to have been salvaged from the inferno lie on the premises like rags and rubbish, with the bonfire still smoldering.
Firemen were seen still hovering over the building, trying to completely smother the smoke still billowing from the premises.
Alltimepost.com gathered that owner of the complex, allegedly Peter Obi was said to have flown into Abuja yesterday. Sources at the premises said that he postponed his visit to the burnt mall till today December 27 because he had been asked by security experts to stay away for the time being until a proper investigation is concluded.
Even though there are confirmed reports from security personnel indicating that there were no human casualties, the loss in investment is said to be in millions of naira. “NEXT does not produce anything you see in their super market. NEXT operates like some kind of franchise.
“People bring in their goods to NEXT for sale under the NEXT platform, and allow NEXT to fix the prices on those goods so as to collect a good commission,” one of the staff who spoke with Alltimepost.com said.
Apart from the loss of good and services from the inferno, hundreds of Nigerians who made a living working with NEXT are now already unemployed or thrown back into the labor market.
Other businesses already affected by the fire at NEXT include taxi drivers, the POS agents and the many who patronize food joints around the NEXT building.
A Police officer at the scene of the incident declined to tell Alltimepost.com something about the product of their investigation. “We are basically a ‘Quick Response’ team, responding to emergencies like this. I would advise you to evacuate this environment because the fire has not been completely contained,” the police officer said.
Sources said that proprietor of NEXT, simply known as ‘Mr. Obi’ is so distressed today to such an extent that he is unable to take any calls from those seeking to sympathize with him.
The NEXT (Cash and Carry Mall) was established in 2013 in Abuja. Before the fire incident, there were plans to launch a second branch in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Whether or not that plan will see the light of day after the tragedy of December 26 in Abuja remains to be seen.
The Police are continuing their investigation, according to a statement issued by Abuja Police Command.
