The Bayelsa government wants more indigenes in the federal fire service

The YENAGOA (Sundiata Post) Bayelsa State Government has called for the employment of more indigenes in the Federal Fire Service and assured of partnership with environmental groups against environmental terrorism.

Governor Douye Diri, who inaugurated a rapid fire engine at Government House, Yenagoa, last weekend, said the recruitment of more indigenes of the state into the Federal Fire Service was to meet the appropriate quota of employment given to the state had been assigned.

The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, expressed displeasure over the brief change of state in several federal agencies where the quota system is used as a criterion for employment.

He thanked the Controller General of the Federal Fire Service for deploying the state-of-the-art firefighting equipment to the state and urged the agency to make deliberate efforts to employ Bayelsans to fill the quota earmarked for the state, in order for the sake of honesty and fairness.

The Governor also called on the State Federal Fire Service Command to initiate a radio fire safety awareness program to educate the people on how to prevent fire incidents and safety measures in the event of a fire outbreak.

Diri noted that the sleek anti-fire vehicle would improve firefighting in the state and urged the fire service to take swift steps to deploy watercraft firefighting equipment in the riverine communities to reduce fire outbreaks, which he regretted and some claimed lives. year.

His words: “We are grateful to the Controller General of the Federal Fire Service for this unique donation to the Bayelsa State Command. Fire is like death, which makes no announcement before it occurs.

“While we do not pray for fire outbreaks, we must be prepared to deal with them when they occur. The use of this fire truck is therefore a bull’s eye when it comes to our desire to ensure that in the event of a fire incident it is extinguished in a timely manner.

“We also want to see how fire engines can be deployed in our rural areas because fire incidents are not limited to just urban areas.

“Bayelsa is about 70 percent coastal, so we will greatly appreciate if the fire service takes action with some speed in deploying watercraft firefighting equipment to our riverine communities in Brass, Ekeremor and Southern Ijaw LGAs.

“We also want to talk about employment opportunities for Bayelsans. I believe Bayelsa does not have enough of its quota of people in the Federal Fire Service. We are very much looking forward to seeing how you can increase the recruitment of our people.”

Earlier in his presentation, the State Comptroller of the Federal Fire Service, ACF Amos Diton, disclosed that Bayelsa was the only state in the entire South-South and South-East to have the rapid fire engine.

ACF Amos, who thanked the state government for always extending support to the Federal Fire Service in the state, appealed to the governor to provide the state command with a piece of land to build a functional operational office.

He called for the inclusion of the State Command of the Federal Fire Service in meetings of the Security Council and appealed for the provision of a commercial vehicle to increase the operational mobility of the command.

In another development, the Bayelsa State Government has indicated its interest in partnering Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to intensify its advocacy on the twin issues of human and environmental rights in the Niger Delta.

The Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, gave this hint when the leadership of the Human and Environment Development Agenda (HEDA) paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Yenagoa, last weekend.

Senator Ewhrudjakpo, who noted that the issue of environment and human rights is at the top of the agenda of the state government, said the Federal Government had not been fair enough to the state on the issue of environmental protection in the state.

He describes cases of environmental terrorism caused by oil spills and gas flaring in the Niger Delta as worse than insecurity in the northern part of the country. He said Bayelsa was ready to work closely with civil society to create greater awareness on these issues.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Human and Environment Development Agenda (HEDA), Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, said their visit was part of the civil society engagement of Niger Delta states on issues related to human and environmental rights.

Mr Suraju pointed out that HEDA was ready to work with the Bayelsa State Government to advance advocacy for its report on environmental injustice and terrorism in Bayelsa and the entire Niger Delta region.

He asserted that if other states in the Niger Delta had done what Bayelsa had done, more global attention would have been paid to the problem of environmental injustice facing the region.

The HEDA team consisted of the Director of Corner House, United Kingdom, Mr. Nicholas Hildyard, and the Legal Advisor, Ms. Cecilia Ogwuche.