A brief fire outbreak disrupted proceedings at the Senate wing of the National Assembly on Wednesday during a screening session for a nominee to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), before it was quickly brought under control.
The incident occurred at Senate Hearing Room 107 while lawmakers were screening Dr. Zainab Marwa for appointment to the NDDC Governing Board, representing the North-East.
Eyewitnesses said the fire started in the kitchen section of the hearing room, with smoke quickly spreading across the chamber and causing momentary panic among those present.
Senators Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South) and Salihu Mustapha (Kwara Central) reportedly helped put out the flames before it could escalate, preventing what could have been a more serious incident.
Preliminary reports suggest the fire may have been triggered by a microwave left on in the kitchen area.
Despite the disruption, order was quickly restored, and the screening exercise was halted shortly after the incident without any injuries or further damage reported.
Earlier in the session, the Senate had received a request from President Bola Tinubu seeking confirmation of Dr. Marwa’s appointment to the NDDC board.
The request followed the resignation of the former North-East representative, Abdulrazak Namdas, who stepped down in March to pursue the Adamawa governorship race.
The nomination has since been referred to the Senate Committee on NDDC for further legislative review, with a report expected within the coming weeks.
