Get Guardian on GoogleThe Federal Government has announced plans to enact the Federal Fire and Rescue Service Act to overhaul Nigeria’s emergency architecture and transition the Federal Fire Service (FFS) from a fire-fighting unit into a comprehensive rescue service.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja during the 2026 National Fire Safety Week themed “Building a Fire-Resilient Nigeria: One Community at a Time.”
He noted that the legislative reform was the first major overhaul of Nigeria’s fire legislation in 63 years, lamenting that the extant 1963 Federal Fire Service Act is obsolete and incapable of meeting modern emergency demands.
He explained that the new legislation would legally empower the service to handle diverse crises beyond fire suppression. According to him, “the number one issue we had was the law, because there is no right way of doing what is legally wrong.
“If the law does not give you the power to do something, no matter how good that action is, once you do it, it becomes illegal.”
Detailing the scope of the incoming agency, the minister said the renewed service would mirror international standards by embedding emergency medical services (EMS), hazardous materials (hazmat) response, urban search and rescue for natural disasters like floods, and rigorous building code enforcement through trained fire marshals.
He further stressed the need to integrate basic rescue training and safety education into school curricula nationwide, transforming public preparedness into a civic culture.
Meanwhile, to reinforce operational readiness, Tunji-Ojo set a December deadline to complete the national fire academy, insisting that robust infrastructure and private-sector collaboration were vital to safeguarding lives and property across Nigeria.
Earlier, the Controller-General of the FFS, Olumode Adeyemi, stressed that building a fire-resilient nation required a shared, community-driven approach, adding that the week-long celebration would feature intensive public enlightenment campaigns on fire safety.
