The Controller-General of the Federal Fire Service Olumode Samuel Adeyemi has said the service does not demand for money before fighting fire stating that any personnel caught requesting money will be pernalised.
The Controller General who disclosed this during an interview with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday was responding to a recent viral video from a fire incident at Rumuo Dumanya, Port Harcourt, Rivers State where such allegations were made.
He said: “Yes, I heard about the story and then I did my investigation. As I’ve said, Federal Fire Service will never ask of money.Where the fire happened, we don’t have our office there. It’s in a local government. Our presence is in the Federal Secretariat in River State.Federal Fire Service personnel would never do that because everything is being provided for us.The federal government, have tried their best. Our salary is being paid as at when due.Equipments, chemicals, the welfare of personnel is being taken care of through our Honorable Minister.
“Those that are due for 2026 promotion now, they’ve written their exam. Before October, the result will be out. So we have everything that is okay for us.So, I can say it, that Federal Fire Service did not request, it will never request for any money before they carry out their statutory duty. And in any form, my ear, my eye are on ground.
“In any form that any staff tries such, Nigerians should communicate and then call the Federal Fire Service number. That staff is ready to go home because we have been taken good care of. So we don’t request for money before we fight fire, even during firefighting and after firefighting. Any personnel caught in such act, the head of that station, the state Comptroller of where such a thing happen will definitely be penalised for it.”
The Controller General stated that in the last few months, the Federal Fire Service has deployed Fire trucks across the 36 states of the federation and plans to have a fire station in all the senatorial zones in the country.
“When I came on board, we had more than 52 trucks that were off the road.The’ve been repaired and have been deployed to all the states of the Federation. So, I can say today that there is no station in Nigeria that the Federal Fire Service trucks are not functioning. And then when we talk of trainings, that is capacity building, we’ve trained a lot of our staff because capacity building is the bedrock of firefighting.”Olumode said.
The Controller General thanked President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Interior,Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo for providing the resources and the enabling environment for the service to thrive.
