As parts of efforts to address the specter of unemployment and to reduce incessant cases of fire outbreaks, the Fire Academy of Nigeria (FAN) has promised to train 10,000 youths to be fire professionals in three years.
While addressing the newsmen on Sunday, October 25, 2020, the Director-General, Fire Academy of Nigeria (FAN) , Dr. Charles Afolabi told newsmen on Sunday, October 25, 2020, said that the Academy have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a partner in Canada and Oyo State Government to train youths to be Fire Wardens as well as Marshalls.
“Whether we go to the mountain or river to pray, there is going to be fire. Any reasonable governor or government will marry us.
“So definitely, we will have 10,000 graduates to be employed. And before they finish we will be going to industries, government that this is what we have to create employment for them.
“The good of it all is that we have an international accreditation. Anybody passing through this Fire Academy in Nigeria will be able to work anywhere in the world,” he said.
“Only in Nigeria, I have seen that the fire industry is a vocation. It is suppose to be a profession like Accountancy, Marketing and Public Relations. The fire industry in this country had been overlooked.
“People felt drilling, climbing and quenching fire is the only thing fire stand for. We have Fire Engineering, Fire Research, First Aid and Fire Safety, Fire Protection. They are all encompassing,” he said.
He further stressed that the Academy is ready to train graduates that will work directly with government fire agencies so as to meet with International best practices.
“They will work to identify fire problems and before it gets out of hand, they know who to contact. We are trying to penetrate the Federal Fire Service, they are equally good. They have international standard.
“But other states fire service are yet to come up to international standard. They are below standard. No equipments, their staff are not well paid, infrastructure nil and they are too static in nature,” he said.
