Aregbesola inaugurates steering committee for Federal Fire Service

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, on Thursday in Abuja, inaugurated a project steering committee (PSC) of Life Safety Systems, Networking, Monitoring and Dispatcher Real-Time Integration System (LSSNMDI) for Federal Fire Service (FFS).

Aregbesola, while inaugurating the project, described it as reliable, having been approved by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) and presented by its acting Director-General, Mr Mike Ohiani, to his ministry.

Aregbesola also noted that the project, having gone through rigorous and qualitative assessment by ICRC, would go a long way in assisting fire personnel in responding promptly to any fire incidence across the country.

“The overall objective of the project is to remove the challenges that Nigerians face in reporting appropriately to fire incidence and sending alert to FFS and any other fire service in the country.”

“It is machine-to-machine and real time alert for fire emergencies to the control room and centre of FFS, which state fire services and possibly local government fire services can adopt for effective and efficient service delivery,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Shuaib Belgore, noted that ICRC’s approval of Outline Business Case (OBC) of the project, for FFS, under public-private partnership (PPP), was a milestone to the overall development of the country.

In his remarks, the acting Director-General of the commission, Mr Michael Ohiani, noted that an unsolicited proposal in respect of the project was submitted to the commission for approval.

“Immediately, we swung into action by reviewing it and we subsequently deemed it fit that it was reliable and bankable, after which we issued the OBC.”

“The next stage is that we will subject it to market discovery so that we can benchmark and ensure that the general public gets value for the money.”

“The concession period is going to be about 10 years and is going to generate about N32 billion for the country.”

“By the time this project comes on stream, it will go a long way in mitigating fire incidents in the country, because we have witnessed incidences of fire outbreaks over the years,” he said.

According to Ohiani, the moment there is any fire incidence, it will trigger an alarm to FFS in record time to enable them act appropriately.