By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Nigeria is making preparations to assist the Democratic Republic of Congo to establish a national fire service.
Dr Ibrahim Liman, Controller General of the Federal Fire Service (FFS) made this know on Wednesday in Jalingo when he paid a visit to the Nigeria Correctional Service, Taraba Command.
“The DR Congo requested for assistance and the FFS positively responded.
“The request became necessary due to the capacity of the organisation as the most qualified and second best fire responders in Africa,” he said.
The CG said that the qualification was determined by the capacity of its fire fighting equipment and the strength of its personnel.
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for changing the narrative of the fire sector in Nigeria.
Liman further attributed the achievement to the commitment of the president who ensured that all the budgetary allocations had been released in 100 per cent form to the organisation.
He assured Nigerians that the service was posed to ensure the safety of lives and property of citizens in times of fire disasters.
The FFS boss called on foreign investors to invest freely in Nigeria due to the capacity of the FFS to contend with any fire outbreak.
Earlier, Mr Emerald Okoro, Comptroller, Nigeria Correctional Service, Taraba Command, commended the CG for his landmark achievement in the FFS.
Okoro assured the CG of the continuous collaboration between the two agencies in the state.
He however, appealed to the Taraba government to provide land for the development of its command’s headquarters in the state.
He said that lack of a befitting office accommodation was the major challenge faced by the command in the state.
NAN