The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola has said that Nigeria lost N3trillion to 2,845 fire outbreaks in 2021,
Aregbesola made this known on Wednesday while decorating the newly promoted Deputy Controllers-General, DCGs, of the Federal Fire Service, FFS.
The former Osun State governor added that the FFS saved properties worth N18.9 trillion, 587 lives and rescued 260 persons from raging fire.
He said that in 2021, the FSS responded to 2,845 SOS distress-calls.
“In sum, the stock of the FSS has grown in leaps and bounds as the agency has contributed significantly to national security in the protection of lives and property,” he said.
Aregbesola noted that the reason for achieving such feat was because between 2015 and now, the Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari committed more resources into the service compared to since its creation in 1901.
“The attention and resources devoted by the Buhari administration since 2015 is more than whatever has been put into it since its establishme in 1901.
“Between 2015 and 2020, the Federal Government provided 106 modern firefighting trucks to the service.
“In 2021, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) also approved the procurement of have some equipment and have since been procured and deployed.
“N10.4 billion infrastructure upgrade comprising of 44 firefighting engines, 15 water tankers, 15 rapid intervention fire engines (not conventional ones) that can go into the nooks and crannies to respond to distress-calls and 20 basic life support ambulances,” he said.
