By Victoria Onehi
The Minister of Interior,Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has said the Federal Fire Service has reduced the rescue time from 35 minutes to 15 minutes since this administration came on board in 2023.
Tunji-Ojo stated this at the ceremony to kick start the National Fire Safety Week held in Abuja on Monday.
Tunji-Ojo said: “I’m happy to tell you, and to also congratulate the CG of the Federal Fire Service. I have to say he’s one of our best decisions we have made.
“In 2023, when this government came on board, the average rescue time for fire incidents was between 32 to 35 minutes. But as of August this year, across the country, we have a total of 136 fire incidents. We were able to save 119 lives and zero lives lost to fire.
“And just like he said, in the month of August alone, about 23 billion naira was saved. We had a loss of 6.4 billion, and we had a rescue time of 15 minutes, 22 seconds. That is the average.
“And a lot of this would have not been impossible without the efforts of the CG. There is a lot, he’s working under the old law. So there’s a limit to how well he can innovate.”
The Minister said if the Federal Fire Service can achieve this under the old law,it can do better when the new Fire Service Act is passed into law.
“I think the Federal Fire Service Act is 1963. You cannot have a Fire Service Act of 1963 and you think it will be near 2026 compliant.
“It doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t make sense. And if the law does not give you the power to do certain things, it makes the job of this man in uniform impossible to do.
“The essence of the law is to make your job easier. And to enlighten the school in such a way that there can be an anticipation of duty by officers. If the law does not grant a state of anticipation of duty by officers, then the law is flawed.
” And for the first time in 63 years, this president took the bull by the horn. And as I speak to you, I think we’ve finished defending it.
“It should be laid this week, Thursday, at the level of the federal capacity. So with this new law, we are repeating what used to be the Federal Fire Service Act. And what the government of President Bola Tinubu is bringing on board is Federal Fire and Rescue Service.”Tunji-Ojo said.
The Minister also said to boost the morale of men of the Federal Fire Service,backlog of promotions have been approved.
“Mr. President understands that for you to ask people to give their best, you must encourage them to do their best. This is the truth.
“When we came on board, we had a backlog of promotion of officers across the four agencies under the ministry of about over 50,000 at the time we came.
“Some people, six years, seven years. There are a lot of people, there are a lot of officers today that are controllers that would have been DCG if they had regular promotion. And I can tell you for the first time in the history of the board, this is the first time that before December every year, we end our promotion that year.
“As we are speaking, the 2026 promotion exercise has been completed and we are already starting the process of 2027. Thank you to encourage our officers. Not just that the president cleared all the backlogs of over 57,000 paramilitary officers under the board.
“We have done close to 100,000 promotions in less than 10 years, from 2027 to date. So the era when people lobby, come to ministers and they look for who knows who just for the purpose of promotion that you deserve, that era is now. That era is gone.
“As we speak today, the last recruitment that we’re concluding, in fact we’re undergoing the last stage which is the drug test. After the drug test, we have the documentation. I think the Federal Fire Service has about 5,000.5,000 people to be recruited into the service in one day.
“And today, your hazard allowance, and every allowance this president approved for your service, understanding the risk that you are undertaking to save our lives, you are earning it as we speak. All retired CGs and DCGs in the Federal Fire Service and all other sister agencies, you now earn your salary for life.” The Minister stated.
In his speech,the Controller General of the Federal Fire Service Olomode Sunday Adeyemi thanked the Minister for encouraging them and always stirring him and staff of the Federal Fire Service to dare the extraordinary.
He said the National Fire Safety Week remains one of the Federal Fire Service’s flagship public awareness initiatives which provides an opportunity to educate Nigerians on fire prevention, promote safe practices and strengthen public participation in reducing fire incidents across the country.
Olumode said this year’s theme, “Building a Fire-Resilient Nigeria: One Community at a Time,” underscores the fact that fire safety is a shared responsibility.
“A fire-resilient nation begins with informed individuals, supported by prepared communities, responsible institutions and effective emergency response services.
We are also recognising organisations and individuals for their commitment to fire safety in their communities.
“Let me use this medium to commend individuals and groups who have invested in community safety by facilitating the establishment of fire stations in their communities. Of note are the Offa Descendant Association, the Bonny Island Local Government Chairman, Alhaji Daud Tijani Igi-Ogun, in Oyo Town, and Hon. Festus Akingbaso in Idanre, Ondo State. These groups and individuals procured land, designed and built fire stations under the supervision of the Federal Fire Service and donated them to the Service. These initiatives demonstrate that building fire-resilient communities is a shared responsibility and that meaningful contributions from individuals, communities and organisations can help bring emergency services closer to the people.
The Controller General called on other well-meaning Nigerians from all walks of life, philanthropists, corporate organisations, community associations, developers and other development partners to emulate these commendable efforts.
One of the major highlight of the event was the official unveiling of the 2026 National Fire Safety Week Logo and fire safety booklets translated into Nigerian indigenous languages to make essential fire safety information more accessible to Nigerians.
Olumode encouraged stakeholders and partners to sustain their support for fire safety initiatives beyond the week. He said building a fire-resilient Nigeria requires consistent public education, investment in emergency infrastructure and the active participation of every community.
One of the stakeholders,the Etsu of Kwali, His Royal Highness, Luka Ayedoo Nizassan III said in few days he will set up a committee that will help him work towards building a fire-resilient community. He enjoined other stakeholders to do the same in their communities and organisation.
