The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, on Thursday commissioned a new fire service engine at the Kirikiri Lighter Terminal (KLT) Fire Service Command.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, Usman said NPA remained committed to the safety of lives and property.
She was represented by the outgoing Port Manager, Tin Can Island Port, Abubakar Umar, who has been redeployed to the NPA headquarters to head the Tarriff and Billing division.
The NPA boss urged the personnel of the fire service unit to make effective use of the equipment in combating fire outbreak just as she requested that the Command furnish the management with the status of all the fire engines both at the main port in Tin Can and KLT to assess their workability and need for additional procurement in the future.
“The management takes the issue of fire service very serious because whenever there is a fire incident, which does not give notice, there must be something on ground to fight it. We have recorded one within this terminal and we thank God it was quickly put off.
“The fire engines you have, maintain them effectively. Make good use of them. When you make good use of them, then the management will be happy but if you don’t make good use of them, the money that would have been use to buy more new ones will end up with repairs,” she said.
Head of the KLT Fire Service Command, Ameachi Ikechukwu, while expressing appreciation to the NPA management said the procurement of the fire engine would help strengthen the command in its mandate of quick response to emergencies.
He noted that being a mini machine, the fire engine will be easy to manouevre within the location of the command, which he said is highly prone to traffic.
Speaking on the features of the fire engine, Ikechukwu said, “The fire truck is multipurpose. It can fight fire to any capacity. It has extra features in the area of replenishment of water. Unlike the old model where there is only one means of replenishment, you can pump water from a water source and through what we call hard suction.
“Part of the reason why management went for a mini fire tender is because of the topography of the environment we find ourselves as regards accessibility issue.
All the years, we have this problem of accessibility, but with this machine and a good source of water, we can put it to use for three days unward.”
He, however, appealed to the management for support in the area of manpower and in repairing some of the command’s old fire engines to cover both fire service stations at Tin Can and KLT.