TheCable

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, has inaugurated six firefighting trucks and 15 Ford rapid response vehicles (RRV) to boost the operations of the Federal Fire Service (FFS). 

The minister, in the company of Jaji Abdulganiyu, controller general of the service, inaugurated the new vehicles in Abuja on Wednesday. 

He said the facilities would accelerate the response time of the firefighters and give access to bad roads. 

“For any country to attain her potential, the fire service cannot be taken for granted,” the minister said. 

“Nigeria is one of the biggest economies in the world, in the top 20 or top 25 of the economies, it means that, for us as a people, we can not continue to pay nonchalant attitude to the issue of fire service.

“I personally believe, this is my opinion as an individual and my position as a minister of interior, that the fire service, should be and will be a major employer in Nigeria.

“All we need you to do is to put on your thinking hat, look at our barriers, and know that the ideas that we have, the strength of our ideology transcends any barrier.”

While speaking, Jaji Abdulganiyu, the controller general of FFS, said the provision of the firefighting vehicles has proven the President Bola Tinubu administration’s commitment to the security of lives and property. 

Abdulganiyu noted that for the first and second quarters of the year, the FFS rescued 91 persons and saved over N300 billion from fire incidents. 

“The phenomenal strategic positioning and increase in firefighting and emergency asset base under the watch of Mr. President is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria Fire Service,” the FFS boss said. 

“It is a further confirmation and demonstration of the present administration’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of lives and property. The service has benefitted immensely from the present administration.

“Our fire statistics in the first and second quarter of 2023 is a testimony of a truly re-engineered Service, records at the data repository centre put fire calls for the period at 1, 096, lives saved at -111, successful rescues at 91 and total property saved at over 300 billion Naira.”

“The firefighting trucks and rapid response vehicles will provide firemen ample opportunities for time-saving, professional and efficient firefighting and rescue operations across the country.

“The manoeuvrability and tractive force coupled with the modern-tech-firefighting tools built into the automotive frame of the Ford RV brings enhanced productivity to the field of efficient firefighting, search and rescue and robust global positioning system(GPS)/mapping and navigation. 

“Speed and stability being assured, the RV reduces response time significantly during fire calls as difficult terranes could be run much faster.”