Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, has inaugurated a new fire station in Toru Orua, Sagbama Local Government Area, Bayelsa State. The facility, donated by Senator Henry Seriake Dickson to the Federal Fire Service (FFS), aims to bolster fire emergency responses in the region.
During the commissioning ceremony on Thursday, Tunji-Ojo commended Senator Dickson for his visionary contribution, stating, “It takes an exposed mind, a visionary personality to understand what is happening here today. With this, you are making this place a hub for the industrial revolution that will happen in the Niger-Delta.”
He added that this initiative, the first of its kind from a senator, underscores the importance of fire services as first responders in emergencies. “On behalf of the father of the nation, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, thank you for being a pacesetter and hoisting the flag of greatness and development in the Niger-Delta region,” Tunji-Ojo said.
Engr. Abdulganiyu Jaji, Controller General of the Federal Fire Service, also expressed his gratitude to Senator Dickson. “I thank His Excellency, the former governor of Bayelsa State, and current Senator representing Bayelsa West for this edifice,” Jaji said. “I appreciate him for considering the building of a Fire Service station as his constituency project. With his collaboration, I am delighted that we now have this facility ready for operation.”
Senator Dickson emphasized the critical role of fire services in emergency response and rescue operations. He urged lawmakers at all levels to prioritize fire safety and allocate resources towards building fire response capacities.
“I use this medium to call on all our leaders in the country, our legislators at both state and national levels to consider seriously the issue of fire safety,” Dickson said. “The government cannot have the resources on their own to build the fire response capacity that our great country needs. I, hereby, call for support for the fire service.”
He continued, “While we all agree that it is very important that we support security outfits, we don’t sometimes remember the critical role that the fire service should be at the forefront of response and rescue operations needs to be. I want to call on legislators to think of building fire response capacities from their constituency allocations. I believe this will assist the service to deliver better on their mandate.”
Dickson also pledged his support in the Senate for the reforms being implemented under the Ministry of Interior.
The new fire station is equipped with state-of-the-art firefighting equipment and vehicles, significantly enhancing the firefighting capabilities in Bayelsa State.
