By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Last week, a fire incident occurred at the Aba, Abia State factor of Guinness Nigeria Plc, one of the brewery companies operating in the country. The inferno reportedly destroyed some properties at the premises.
Though some investors and shareholders do not know the full extent of the damage or the remote cause of the inferno, the management of Guinness Nigeria has assured that the fire incident will not affect its performance and numbers.
“While awaiting the outcome of an assessment of the incident, we do not expect any material impact to our numbers,” a statement signed by the Company Secretary/Legal Director, Mr Rotimi Odusola, said on Monday.
Commenting further on the January 18, 2019 fire outbreak, Guinness Nigeria said it Aba plant located in the Osisioma Industrial Layout, currently serves as a logistics centre with few personnel on site, pointing out that major production operations take place “in our Benin and Ogba Breweries” located in Edo and Lagos States respectively.
It was disclosed that the fire was swiftly contained and put under control by the Aba Fire Services, with assistance from neighbouring companies.
“Fortunately, there was no injury or major material loss resulting from the incident. The fire was contained outdoors and did not affect any of the buildings on site,” the brewery giant said.
The company further said, “As we continue to investigate the cause of the fire, we would like to express our thanks to the Aba Fire Service and Police as well as the neighbouring companies and community for their swift response and assistance in containing the fire.
“We also thank everyone who reached out to us during the incident. “Guinness Nigeria is committed to ensuring the health and safety of our employees and the communities where we operate and continues to maintain the highest standards in this regard.”
Adedapo Adesanya