Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has pledged N5million monthly to the Federal Fire Service for the maintenance of firefighting trucks.
He made the promise yesterday in Port Harcourt during the inauguration of one modern firefighting truck, Basic Life Support Ambulance (BLS) and one water tanker.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, had approved the deployment of newly- acquired firefighting trucks to Federal Fire Services (FFS) in states to complement the efforts of firemen.
The governor said the monthly donation was also to buy consumables to ensure the sustenance and smooth running of the newly-inaugurated trucks.
“We will give N5million monthly and it is not to be shared among yourselves.
“It is for use to make sure the vehicles are maintained.
“Our money is not to service other states, but to service the people of this state.
“Whatever we give for the service of the vehicles, use it here.
“Once there is a fire outbreak and we hear there are no consumables, we will stop the funding and return the vehicles to where it came from,” he said.
Wike expressed concerns about the safety of lives and property.
He pleaded for the trucks to be judiciously utilised for the interest of residents.
The governor said the government was ready to equip the state fire service with two utility vehicles, but he was unable to comment on the inclusion of the fire service in the state security council.
He, however, said that he was concerned about the maintenance of the vehicles by those in charge of ensuring it’s proper utilisation.
“The problem we have now is that will those who ought to manage this trucks and vehicles carry it out for the benefit of the people?
“There might be situations of outbreaks and the equipment might not be around because it might have been hired rather than used for the interest of the public,” he said.
He hailed Dr. Ibrahim Liman, the controller general, FFS, for the equal distribution of the modern trucks to states.
Wike said: “Thank you for not playing politics, but doing the right thing and not relying on belonging to the same party before carrying out what’s right.”
The FFS boss assured the state government of his commitment to monitor the federal and state fire services in the state and make sure the promised monthly funds were utilised.
“The consumables, which include chemicals, diesel and auxiliary equipment are very expensive, so we appreciate the gesture of the governor.
Liman said the minister of Interior has promised to deploy more fire trucks on or before the end of 2021.
He said the deployment was to improve firefighting and enhance service delivery in the state and country.
The controller general, on behalf of the state fire service, had requested the allocation of two utility vehicles, recruitment, sponsorship of personnel on training and inclusion of the service in the state security council.
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