The Citizens Watch Advocacy Initiative (CWAI) has praised the Controller General of the Federal Fire Service (FFS), Olumode Samuel Adeyemi, for his strategic leadership and efforts to consolidate developmental programmes within the agency, describing the result as a viable, accountable, and sustainable institution.
In a press release issued from Kaduna, the Director of Media and Stakeholder Engagement of CWAI, Mahmud Bello, said that since CG Olumode assumed leadership, the Federal Fire Service has recorded milestones never before seen in its history.
These include prompt payment of salaries, emoluments, and allowances; personnel promotions; improved fire policy doctrines and safety measures; enhanced advocacy and awareness campaigns; elevated staff morale and esprit de corps; seamless public-private partnerships with contractors and stakeholders; and robust inter-agency collaboration with sister disaster management agencies.
“The story at the Federal Fire Service has changed for the better — judging by personnel productivity and policy direction,” Bello stated, adding that many civil society organisations, faith-based groups, and stakeholders share this assessment.
CWAI noted that the present management has upgraded the fire academy, built institutional capacity, and carried out wide-ranging reforms. Personnel and officers now attend courses, seminars, and workshops domestically and internationally to improve manpower development skills. Most recently, Course 06 cadet officers passed out from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s (NDLEA) training school.
The service has also launched a novel collaboration with the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) to run a Post-Graduate Diploma and Master’s Degree programme in disaster and risk management, described by CWAI as a source of pride for both institutions.
The Federal Fire Service has been building strategic partnerships with organisations including NEXIM Bank, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Atomic Energy Commission, and Transcorp PLC, among others. During a courtesy visit to NEXIM Bank, FFS management proposed integrating comprehensive fire safety frameworks into export-driven projects, with a focus on risk assessment, safety compliance, and emergency preparedness.
At the Atomic Energy Commission, the FFS leadership called for a robust, specialised fire and emergency response framework for nuclear-related incidents, to ensure that Nigeria’s growing atomic energy and research infrastructure remains safe.
Transcorp PLC received fire safety certification following successful emergency drills conducted jointly by Transcorp personnel and FFS officers. In engagements with the BUA Group under the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa (ASR Africa) initiative, the service sought private sector backing to close critical gaps in Nigeria’s fire emergency system. CG Olumode was direct in naming those gaps: inadequate fire station coverage, limited firefighting equipment, and insufficient emergency medical response capacities.
“Improving response time is not optional; it is essential to saving lives. Expanding fire station networks and strengthening emergency medical services must be treated as national priorities,” the CG said. He called for joint operational drills and simulation exercises, structured training programmes for fire personnel, and community-level fire safety sensitisation under a structured partnership with ASR Africa.
CWAI also commended CG Olumode’s immediate response to a major inferno at the Singa Market in Kano State, as well as responses to incidents in other states, describing his approach as a model of proactive national service. On-the-spot assessments carried out across the country were cited as evidence of administrative responsibility and operational diligence.
In its statement, CWAI expressed confidence in CG Adeyemi’s leadership style, open-door policy, discipline, strategic engagement with civil society and the media, and his fight against indiscipline among staff. Acknowledging the paucity of funds allocated to the service, the organisation called on relevant authorities to improve the FFS budgetary allocation, arguing that the present management is doing its utmost to reposition and rebrand the service. “CWAI passes a vote of confidence in the leadership for its consolidation process and anti-corruption stance,” the statement concluded.