FEC approves N4.6bn for procurement of fire equipment

The Federal Executive Council(FEC) at its first meeting for the year on Wednesday approved the procurement of fire fighting equipment at a
cost of N4.6billion.

The approval by FEC signals the upgrade of fire fighting equipment across the country which are about 21 years old, Minister of Interior,
Abdurahman Dambazzau told journalists at the post FEC Briefing.

He said N5.2 billion had initially been budgeted for the procurement of the equipment in the 2016 budget, but the Bureau for Public Procurement had scaled it down to N4.6 billion.

“Today’s federal executive council approved, the procurement of some fire fighting equipment. This service, the last time equipment was
procured was sometimes in 1996, so the equipment in the inventory today we have those procured between 1985 and 1996 and since then
there was no procurement.

“So this approves procurement is going to go a long way to provide the service with the necessary equipment” the minister said.

Dambazzau said he is hoping that the 2017 budget will “avail us the opportunity to procure more equipment for the federal fire service and
ofcourse the fire training school, I have visited there I am making some efforts to also improve the on our existing facilities”.

To reduce the rate of fire incidents in the country, the interior minister said Council discussed measures that will ensure citizens
adhere to preventive codes.

“Part of the discussion we had today was also to have an inter ministerial committee and I have made consultations with various
ministries and states in order to ensure that we carry out preventive measures such as ensuring that the new building code, every building
has the necessary fire equipment for preventives measures such as fire hydrants within the metropolis.

“These are some of the measure we intend to take I the very near future to ensure that we reduces the lapses and prevent fire from
happening” he added.

The National Association Nigerian Traders (NANTs), last year said N5.3trillion has been lost in fire incidences across the country in
the last seventeen years. He said the ministry of interior will partner with entities, particularly in the oil and gas sector to train firemen in the country
so as so improve their services with a target vulnerable states like Kano, Kebbi and Lagos.