By Simdi Gloria:-
The Federal Government said it has succeeded in its establishment of a command of the Federal Fire Service FFS in each state of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory FCT.
The Federal Government announced its resolve to arrest and prosecute anyone who attacks fire service personnel in the line of duty.
Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, Minister of Interior, disclosed this in Akure, Ondo state when he commissioned a new fire-fighting truck to further boost the capacity of the Service in protecting lives and property of residents.
Director, Press and Public Relations in the Ministry, Mohammed Manga in a statement said “with the deployment of the newly procured fire engines across the country to boost emergency response, the Federal Fire Service is now present in all the 36 states of the Federation, including the Federal Capital Territory”.
According to him, 2615 fire calls have been responded to, 724 lives and assets worth more than N1.629 trillion have been saved between the months of June 2019 till date.
Aregbesola, therefore, called on Nigerians to be cautious in the usage of fire, especially as the dry season sets, in order to prevent all forms of fire disaster during the festive period and beyond.
The Minister made an appeal to the youths and those with the tendency to burn bushes, to restrain from such actions as well as the reckless disposal of un-burnt cigarettes among others, during the dry season.
He added that in order to reduce the response time to emergencies, “the service has now increased its zonal commands to 12 with the establishment of additional six zonal commands in Bauchi, Makurdi, Kubwa, Abeokuta, Kano, and Enugu”.
“It is wrong to attack fire-fighters and their trucks. When we attack them, we destroy ourselves, as the fire will not be put out; henceforth, whoever attacks our fire officers and trucks will face the wrath of the law,” the Minister reiterated.
Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu said, he was committed to enhancing the collaboration between the State and the Federal Fire Service and assured of his administration’s determination to ensuring that all fire stations are put in good shape for quick response to emergencies.
The Controller General, Federal Fire Service, Dr. Liman Ibrahim also said that the fire-fighting asset deployment to the State was in line with the President Muhammadu Buhari’s resolve to ensure the safety of lives and property in the country.
He added that six new fire service training schools in Katsina, Kwara, Osun, Abia, Borno and Cross River to cover the six geopolitical zones have been established by the Federal Fire Service to cater to the human capital development needs of the service locally.
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