By Danlami Nasir Isah
It was 4:38pm on Monday, 14th of January 2019, when the buzz of fire alarm from the 9th floor of Block A, the GMD’s block at NNPC Towers, Abuja sent so many members of staff and visitors into panic, thus forcing people to use emergency exit and assembled at the assigned muster point, including the Group Managing Director of the Corporation and other top officials.
The safety officials, from Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) division of the Corporation took to the task of ensuring that the block was fully evacuated within the shortest time possible to avoid any casualty.
After assembling at the muster point, the Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru personally took a roll call to ensure everybody in the block A of the eleven-storey building, consisting of many offices, is safe.
It was later confirmed that no any fire outbreak anywhere within the block, rather it was a mock exercise that was conducted to ascertain the level of preparedness of staff members in case of any eventuality.
The GMD however, commended everyone for taking to safety within the shortest possible time, advising that members of staff should always inform their colleagues about their whereabouts in case of any incidence so that their status will be known.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation is well known for its safety adherence and has invested hugely in safety wears and training of its staff members.