FG to deepen investment in fire safety infrastructure

FG to deepen investment in fire safety infrastructure

Abdullateef Fowewe

The Federal Government is set to invest better in fire safety infrastructure to position Nigeria as a regional leader in fire safety training in Africa that can provide global solutions to a global audience.

The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made this known when the Chairman of the Council of Chiefs, Kwali Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory, His Royal Highness Etsu Luka Ayedo Nizassan III, and the Chairman of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria FCT Chapter, Danladi Chiya, paid him a courtesy visit at his office in Abuja on Thursday.

Tunji-Ojo according to a statement on Friday by the Director of Press and Public Relations of the Ministry of Information, Ozoya Imohimi, noted that Nigeria is too important a player on the continent to continue sending people abroad for fire services training.

Tunji-Ojo according to the remark said, “We believe that other countries should be coming here for capacity building. Given Nigeria’s size and population, we need nothing less than 500,000 firefighters, including specialists in Emergency Medical Services (EMS), fire inspectors, and hazardous materials technicians.

“Countries with similar economic standings have already achieved robust firefighting capacities, and Nigeria should be no different. Our objective is not just to have a good solution, but the best solution for Nigerians.”

The minister stressed that to meet the target, plans are underway to expand the National Fire Academy in Abuja, stating that the current landmass of the academy needs to be increased to accommodate the large-scale training required.

“Fire academies around the world are massive, and ours should reflect the same. We are considering partnerships with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board and other agencies to explore domestic production of essential fire safety equipment, such as fire extinguishers, fire alarms and sprinkler systems,” Tunji-Ojo said.

He emphasised further that the expansion is not just about human capacity development but also about industrialising parts of the FCT.

He said, We believe the essence of government is to add value, and by localizing the production of fire safety products, we will be doing just that.”