Emmanuel Onani 
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has described the Fire Service Act of 1963 as “obsolete”, hence the need for its repeal (amendment).
The minister made the declaration, yesterday, while performing the groundbreaking of the remodelled National Fire Academy in Abuja.
His words: “It is a constitutional duty of government to protect lives and property. So, what you have been set out to do by your establishment statutes is a function of the constitution.
“We will be working hard to see to the repeal and enactment of a Fire and Rescue Service Act. This present law of 1963 is obsolete.
“The scope of fire service all over the world in 2024 is different from what it was in 1963 and we cannot continue to be held down to the apron of the past when we have an opportunity to create a future that we will all be proud of. “For us, your responsibility is not just to combat and prevent fire. Your responsibilities go beyond that.
You ought to be the first responders in case of any emergency.” Tunji-Ojo said that after the completion of the project, the government would establish a fire academy in each of the six geo-political zones in the country, saying that the target was to bring the private sector into the fire service and rescue industry.
On the project, the former parliamentarian noted thus: “It is only when we do that that over 200 million Nigerians can have the kind of rescue assurance that they need”.
