The Federal Government has said that commercial institutions, including banks, hotels, schools, malls, recreational centres and other private sector players will be required to have certified fire safety officers.
The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this after conducting his maiden official inspection tour of the National Fire Academy, Sheda, Abuja.
The Minister’s media aide, Babatunde Alao, disclosed in a statement on Thursday that he canvassed the broadening of the use of the Fire Academy to accommodate private fire servicemen.
“A lot has been done, but there is still a lot more to be done. With what I have seen here, I can guarantee you that we will work very hard to see that this facility will not only be useful in training officers of the fire service but also for the private sector.
“We must make fire safety a personal affair. Every institution, commercial and social recreation centre should have certified fire and safety personnel, trained by this facility,” the minister was quoted as saying.
He explained how the academy could serve various private sector players, insisting that: “All public and commercial buildings and infrastructure such as banks, hotels, malls, restaurants, or even government buildings should have first responders that can administer basic fire fighting remedy while waiting for the arrival of a full operation squad of the country’s Fire Service.”
Dr Olubunmi explained that the tour was to fortify him with the situation of things at the facility, and also see how fire service processes could be innovated to serve a broader spectrum in line with the #RenewedHope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The minister added that: “Today, we have over 3 million private guards certified by the NSCDC. We can have something similar for the fire service. We need private fire service men to enhance our service and response time. The President’s #RenewedHope agenda has charged us to be innovative if we must change the narrative.
“As a matter of fact, this is another innovative way to generate revenue because we expect that anyone looking to become a safety or security guard should get trained and certified by this academy.”
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