Posted by Chinenye on Fri 14th Aug, 2026 - tori.ng
The Federal Government is calling on wealthy Nigerians, businesses and philanthropists to step up the fight against fire disasters by investing in more fire stations nationwide.
(Adeyemi Samuel Olumode. Photo by Kogi Report)
The federal government has urged affluent Nigerians, philanthropists, business leaders, and corporate organizations to invest in the establishment of fire stations across the country, stating that firefighting is everyone's responsibility.
Adeyemi Samuel Olumode, Controller General of the Federal Fire Service, addressed a One-Day National Stakeholders' Summit on Fire Safety in Abuja on Thursday.
The Service also inducted 37 Public Relations Officers (PROs) from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) into the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.
Adeyemi, who presented on the theme "Building a Resilient Fire Service for the 21st Century," stated that Nigeria need a network of strategically placed fire stations to bring emergency response closer to communities and cut response time.
He cited the Offa Descendant Association Fire Station, Oyo Town Fire Station, Idanre Fire Station, Bonny Island Fire Station, and Kugbo Fire Station as examples of what could be accomplished when individuals, communities, and organizations invested directly in their people's safety, describing such actions as an investment in lives and property rather than philanthropy.
The Controller General remarked that the summit coincided with the one-year anniversary of his appointment on August 14, 2025, which he described as an occasion to reflect on the Service's successes over the previous year rather than an intentional coincidence.
He listed some of his accomplishments as the rehabilitation of 40 firefighting appliances, the procurement of two modern firefighting appliances and over 2,000 pieces of personal protective equipment, and the training of over 700 cadet officers in basic firefighting, who have since been deployed across commands.
Adeyemi stated that the Service had also strengthened specialized capacity thru counter-terrorism training in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the armed forces, as well as ongoing upgrades to the National Fire Academy, which he claimed would become the best in Africa for training firefighters once reopened.
The Controller General hailed the induction of the PROs as historic, as it was the first time officers from the 36 states and the FCT had been brought together for a coordinated and systematic training program aimed at professional recognition and certification.
"This is much more than just issuing certificates." We are professionalizing how the Federal Fire Service communicates with Nigerians.
Our public relations officers must comprehend strategic communication, crisis communication, media relations, stakeholder engagement, public education, reputation management, and the issues posed by misinformation, particularly during an emergency," he stated.
He went on to say that a fire crisis is both an operational and a communication event, emphasizing the need of public trust in the Service's ability to safeguard lives and property.
Adeyemi praised the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for its collaboration on fire safety in tertiary institutions, as well as the Tony Elumelu Foundation for partnering with the Service to provide fire safety preparedness training to 7,740 ordinary Nigerians, with the goal of reaching 10 people in each local government area.
He also thanked the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and Rightangle PR for their contributions to the Service's professional communication capacity, as well as government and private-sector partners and media representatives.
The Controller General urged the public to help during emergencies by clearing a passage for firefighters, keeping unneeded crowds at bay, and sharing verifiable information with rescuers.