FFS, Customs honour Afritower Fire victims, forge stronger safety alliance
The Federal Fire Service (FFS) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Friday joined the UBA Group Chairman, Mr. Tony Elumelu, to honour the victims of the tragic Afritower fire in Lagos with a solemn one-minute silence.
The symbolic act of remembrance was held at exactly 12 noon during the official visit of the Controller General of the Federal Fire Service, Olumode Samuel Adeyemi, to the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, at the Service Headquarters in Abuja.
Speaking at the meeting, Controller General Olumode expressed gratitude to the Customs Service for what he described as “longstanding support to the Federal Fire Service, particularly in facilitating duty-free importation of firefighting equipment, trucks, and safety gadgets.”
He further lauded the NCS as “the highest revenue-generating service in the non-oil sector and a true pillar of the nation.”
Olumode reaffirmed the FFS mandate to save lives and property, render humanitarian services, and strengthen partnerships across government institutions.
According to him, the visit was designed “to close a 15-year vacuum and strengthen inter-agency collaboration, especially in emergency response and public safety.”
The CGF stressed the urgent need for operational support to boost fire response capacity nationwide.
Highlighting requests for “fire trucks, water tenders, utility vehicles, and rapid-response equipment to reduce loss of lives during fire incidents,” he also proposed collaboration in safety audits of Customs facilities, deployment of FFS officers to man Customs buildings at no cost, and training of Customs personnel and their families on fire safety.
Responding, Comptroller General Adeniyi warmly received the delegation, commending the FFS for its dedication.
He congratulated Olumode on his leadership and praised the Service for its gender-inclusive policies, even as he described the FFS as “a critical agency of government whose role complements the President’s agenda on safety and emergency preparedness.”
The Customs boss pledged continued support, promising to sustain duty-free importation of firefighting equipment and to assist the Fire Service with operational and utility vehicles within available resources.
He also announced plans “to consult the FFS on integrating fire safety training into Customs’ curriculum, conduct joint regular exercises, and review safety protocols particularly in the wake of the Afritower fire incident.”
Both agencies agreed to formalise their partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that would include joint safety audits of critical infrastructure such as smoke detectors, sprinkler systems, and alarm installations in Customs facilities.
Adeniyi further urged the FFS to extend similar courtesy visits to other strategic institutions including the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), National Communications Commission (NCC), and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to deepen whole-of-government collaboration on public safety.
