Tunji-Ojo: We’ll bring fire service response time to 15 minutes

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, says he would work towards reducing the emergency response time of the Federal Fire Service (FFS) centres to below 15 minutes.

Tunji-Ojo made the announcement in a video broadcast of his vision for reforming key sectors under the interior ministry.

The minister said the planned reforms hinge on the “Renewed Hope” agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

While there is no official average response time of the service, in 2022, Rauf Aregbesola, former minister of interior, said the training undergone by firefighters in the country at that time had improved fire emergency response time to seven minutes.

Tunji-Ojo also assured Nigerians of the government’s commitment to revolutionising passport processing to bring ease to applicants.

He directed officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to treat applicants with “utmost respect” in all its passport offices including those outside the country.

“We would do everything within our power as a ministry to ensure that there are key reforms in our fire service centres, turn around the response time of our fire service to under fifteen minutes,” Tunji-Ojo said.

“I assure Nigerians of our desire to proceed with reforms in our immigration service, such that Nigerians can be treated with respect, and that we get to unbuckle all bottlenecks of passport collections — and see other issues associated with immigration services, in general, are under control.

“I also would like to give assurance that under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we would do everything humanly possible to reform our custodial centres, such as the decongestion of those centres — of course, with beaming life, and hope we’d groom inmates and help inmates to ensure proper re-integration into the society.”

The minister pledged to ensure the effective protection of national infrastructure by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

He added that his focus would be to ensure that the government’s promises translate into meaningful action, making a positive impact on the lives of Nigerians.