Kogi Tanker Explosion: Activist knocks Federal, State Fire Service

The Executive Director, Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution, Comrade Idris Abdul Miliki, has criticized the Federal and State Fire Service for their inability to reduce the casualties of the tanker explosion that claimed the life of over 23 persons and the inferno that occurred in a multi-million naira shop in Kogi State within three days.

Miliki while speaking to Our Kogi State Correspondent on Saturday, described the latest incidences of fire outbreak in the state as very unfortunate, avoidable, condemnable, explaining that the institutions of the Federal and State Government has failed in there responsibilities.

He said both the Federal and State owned institutions where not being proactive and alive to there responsibilities.

The activist further noted that in the last three years, the state have had series of fire outbreaks with no commensurate response by the State and Federal Fire Service.

According to the Activists, " Peelinks is just some metres away from the Office of the Federal Fire Service in Federal Ministry of Works. The Peelinks Complex is equally not up to a Kilometer away from the office of the State Ministry of Works.

"Yet no help came to salvage the fire outbreak in the Peelinks Complex. Does it mean that people where not on duty. Does it mean that they lack the necessary equipments to work. Are they properly funded?

"We've always advocated that each local government should be equipped with a fire service but it is unfortunate that Government does not have its priorities right."

"We are using this medium to call on the Kogi State Government to as a matter of urgency resuscitate the State Fire Services. 

"We'll continue to blame institutional failures for the inability to meet with putting off fire outbreaks in the state.

"Kogi State is witnessing infrastructure decay despite the present administration having assessed over N350billion yet we're not seeing tangible efforts to mitigate disaster.

"Nothing is the present administration doing to curtail the flood disaster that has hit the state. This Government has no housing scheme to relocate People affected. 

"As we speak we've Federal agencies the state who's beneficiaries are the citizens of the State. Unfortunately, this Federal agencies do not enjoy any support of the state government even when they ought to be assisted.

"Today the Federal Medical Centre has been locked for several months with the State Government not showing any concern and yet it is the Citizens who ought to be the beneficiaries that are the worst hit.

"We therefore call on the State Government to quickly resuscitate the state fire Services and see how it can support the federal services so as to be well positioned to fight fire outbreaks which would always occur and leading to the loss of millions of Naira.

"I equally call on the Private sectors to contribute and partner in supporting agencies saddled with the responsibility of disaster management because no one is free from disaster" Miliki lamented. 

Comr Miliki lamented that if the fire agencies were operating at optimum, it would have been easy to reach victims of the Felele fire incidence and in salvaging the Peelinks Complex.

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