The president, Bola Tinubu, has approved the inclusion of the Service Rapid Intervention Vehicle in his motorcade.
The Controller General of Federal Fire Service, Jaji Abdulganiyu disclosed this while receiving the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Oluwatoyin Akinlade, in his office on Thursday.
He said Tinubu will be the first president to have the fire fighting vehicle in his convoy in the history of the country.
Abdulganiyu said,
“Mr President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given the approval to include the Service Rapid Intervention Vehicle in his motorcade. This is the first in the history of Nigeria. ”
He added that the service had recently procured 15 of the vehicles which would soon be deployed.
Abdulganiyu said,
“We have just procured 15 Ford Built Rapid Intervention Vehicles, already delivered to the Service awaiting commissioning and deployment. The Rapid Intervention Vehicle is ideal for combating fire during its initial stages.”
He, however, said the service lacked the needed manpower to effectively carry out its mandates.
“Permit me also to note some of the challenges of the Service, they are: Inadequate manpower to effectively carry out our mandates, attack on firefighters, housing needs for personnel, firefighting infrastructural gap and Budgetary constraint, amongst others,” he added.
Akinlade promised that the welfare of personnel in the service would be prioritised to keep their morale high.
She said,
“The welfare and other things needed to keep the morale of the personnel high will be given priority. The ministry will ensure you also get all the funding that you need. We also call on the state governments to support the fire service to reduce the burden on the Federal Fire service”.