By Nkechi Eze
In a renewed effort to strengthen public safety and enforce fire control standards across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD) has taken its recently inaugurated Nigeria Fire Extinguisher Control (NFEC) and Gas Explosion Prevention System (GEPS) teams to the FCT Transport Secretariat.
According to an official signed statement by Ngaha Faustina of FEMD, the Acting Director General of FEMD, Engr. Abdulrahman Mohammed, led the delegation on the strategic advocacy visit, where he introduced the newly inaugurated NFEC and GEPS teams to the Mandate Secretary of the FCT Transport Secretariat, Barrister Chinedum Elechi.
While addressing the Secretariat, Engr. Mohammed underscored the critical importance of functional fire extinguishers, particularly in the transport sector. He called for greater awareness and coordinated enforcement to combat the alarming rate of substandard and tampered fire extinguishers in circulation.
“Some unscrupulous vendors re-pressurize expired extinguishers just to make the gauge show green or fill them with substandard materials. This is not only fraudulent it is deadly,” he warned. “In some instances, they use only 0.25kg of dry chemical powder instead of the required 0.9kg in a 10kg extinguisher. This is a gross violation of the Nigeria Industrial Standards (NIS) and poses a serious risk during emergencies.”
The NFEC/GEPS Coordinator, Mr. Benson Olatunji, also addressed the gathering, emphasizing the urgent need for joint stakeholder enforcement, public sensitization, and proper training of vendors across the fire extinguisher and LPG gas value chain.
“Unsafe practices in this sector are more than just negligent they are national security risks,” Olatunji stated. “The NFEC and GEPS initiative is a life-saving intervention. We need all hands on deck to build a safer and more compliant society.”
In his response, the Mandate Secretary of the FCT Transport Secretariat, Barrister Chinedum Elechi, lauded the initiative, describing it as timely and essential.
“It’s disheartening to witness a vehicle on fire while people helplessly watch with extinguishers in hand only to realize they are non-functional,” Elechi lamented. He pledged the Secretariat’s support and expressed readiness to collaborate on initiatives that will enhance public safety across the territory.
The advocacy visit forms part of FEMD’s proactive strategy to promote effective fire safety regulations and stakeholder engagement in Abuja, particularly in high-risk sectors such as transport and gas handling.
