The Federal Government is aiming to reduce youth unemployment by employing numerous individuals as firefighters.
Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, made this announcement during the launch of new firefighting equipment, including 16 trucks and six vehicles at the Federal Fire Service headquarters in Abuja.
Nairametrics learns that the delay in employment is due to the need for new laws to modernize firefighting in Nigeria.
According to him, once the new laws are in place, the required number of firefighters will be determined, and regulations will be established for the presence of firefighters in public infrastructure throughout the country, allowing for more employment opportunities.
What he said
Tunji-Ojo emphasized that the number of firefighters in a country reflects its level of development. He stated that for Nigeria to be among the world’s top economies, it should have a larger workforce of firefighters.
This is because fire service is directly linked to a nation’s development.
Currently, Nigeria has only about 6,000 federal firefighters, which is one of the lowest numbers in the world.
The minister highlighted examples from the United States, where cities like New York and Los Angeles have hundreds of fire stations and over a million firefighters, both employed and volunteers.
He mentioned that a bill before the National Assembly if passed, would bring significant changes to firefighting in Nigeria.
He said:
- “For us as a people, we cannot continue to pay lip service and non-challant attitude to the issue of fire. As an individual, I believe that the FFS should be the major employer of labour in Nigeria. All we need to do is put on our thinking caps. It is time for the FFS to rise to her responsibility which is not just about combating fire.
- “It has to do even with forecasting dangers. We have to migrate from the era of corrective activities to the era of being proactive which will lead us to preventive measures that can save us millions of naira.
- “Your strength lies in the decline of fire outbreaks and not the number of fires you fought within a period. Extinguishing fires, saving lives and property, rescuing people during accidents, and protecting people in the event of other emergencies remained part of your responsibilities.
- “Federal Fire and Rescue Service will be expected to collect information across Nigeria and also take care of the health and safety of your personnel.
- “The FFS must work very closely with NSCDC for security cover. I understand the issue that our FFS men are attacked when they go out on their legitimate duties but with the NSCDC providing such cover, such attacks will be reduced.
- “We want your training centers not just for your officials but we want all buildings with more than 10 workers to have fire rescue and safety officers among them. Timely intervention can save lives and billions of Naira.”
The minister noted that when the bill on fire and rescue service is assented to, the FFS will play a major role in our national development.
The Federal Government is working to combat youth unemployment by hiring a significant number of individuals as firefighters.
Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, shared this initiative during the launch of new firefighting equipment at the Federal Fire Service headquarters in Abuja, including 16 trucks and six vehicles.
He explained that the delay in hiring is primarily due to the necessity of enacting new laws to modernize firefighting practices in Nigeria.
Once these new laws are established, the required firefighter workforce will be determined, and specific regulations will be put in place for deploying firefighters across public infrastructure throughout the country, creating additional employment opportunities.
Tunji-Ojo stressed the direct relationship between a country’s number of firefighters and its level of development.
He argued that for Nigeria to join the world’s leading economies, it should significantly expand its firefighter workforce. This is because the presence of a robust fire service is closely associated with a nation’s overall development.
Presently, Nigeria has only around 6,000 federal firefighters, which is among the lowest figures globally. The minister cited examples from the United States, where cities like New York and Los Angeles have hundreds of fire stations and over a million firefighters, including both employed professionals and volunteers.
He also mentioned a pending bill before the National Assembly that, if approved, could bring substantial changes to firefighting practices in Nigeria.