The latest commissioning of ten high-capacity firefighting automobiles by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has been met with blended reactions from the general public. Whereas some have counseled the transfer as a step in direction of enhancing security and emergency response at airports throughout the nation, others have raised issues about the price of the automobiles and whether or not they’re really crucial.
Sirika had Sunday by way of his official Twitter deal with introduced that he had simply commissioned ten firefighting vehicles value N12bn.
He mentioned,”Simply commissioned 10 Firefighting vehicles, complete value of over 12Bn Naira. Extra to come back in the end. Security has been the Buhari focus in Aviation, since 2015. Hitherto FAAN has not purchased new vehicles in 15 years.”
Nonetheless, Nigerians on Twitter reacted to the put up by the minister.
The 2023 Presidential candidate of the African Motion Congress, Omoyele Sowere mentioned,” Wow! You imply to procure a single hearth engine for over $2 million every. Wonders shall by no means stop. You and @mbuhari actually completed Nigeria! #RevolutionNow.”
A Twitter person, @n6oflife6, mentioned,” The cleansing out these individuals are doing earlier than leaving workplace. Heaven helps whoever enters subsequent. You actually spent 30 million United States {Dollars} on 10 hearth vehicles. even when they had been made by Bugatti and Lamborghini @officialEFCC please test.”
One other Twitter person @yuteoflondon, mentioned,” spent the final hours researching how a lot hearth vehicles value, the costly high-end vehicles value $650,000 (which Nigeria by no means will get the very best, I can wager these are used vehicles too).
“NYC firefighting vehicles value $550k every, what truck did you purchase for $2.8m You sir and your cohorts are thieves. Give the spec of this truck and what makes it N1.2B every. the ridiculous broad daylight theft of our coffers.”
One other Twitter person @aisosaigiebor, mentioned,” That is absolute insanity. How are you going to purchase 10 hearth vehicles for 12bn Naira @1.2bn every?
Hearth vehicles don’t work nicely and not using a direct supply of water which we don’t have in most locations. This appears to be like like a China truck and from my discover, the one which holds 12000 litres is about 80,000$. Why would you pay 1.2bn Naira for one truck? That is insane.”
Reacting, Centurion Safety’s CEO, Capt John Ojikutu, raised issues over the deployment of recent firefighter automobiles to Nigerian airports.
He said that whereas the automobiles are refined and of top of the range, there’s a lack of expert manpower to maintain their operations and guarantee periodic upkeep.
Capt Ojikutu emphasised the necessity for correct funding and planning, questioning why such contracts had been solely being awarded on the finish of the administration’s time period when funds had been scarce and exterior borrowing was crucial.
Ojikutu mentioned,” Every is sweet sufficient to be deployed to an airport as Cat 9 however do now we have the required expert manpower to maintain their operations and the periodic upkeep? It isn’t enough to go shopping for refined gear with out enough and expert manpower to maintain its operation life.
He additional questioned why such contracts had been solely being awarded on the finish of the administration’s time period when funds had been scarce and exterior borrowing was crucial.
“The related query to ask is, why are all these shopping for and challenge contracts coming throughout the outgoing administration and never at the start or mid-term? The place is the funding coming from at a time the federal government administration is complaining of shortage of funds and going borrowing funds in exterior loans?” he added.
On his half, the Secretary-Normal, Aviation RoundTable, Olumide Ohunayo, famous that though that is coming on the final lap of the top of the administration, the hassle of the minister is commendable.
Ohunayo mentioned,” Firefighting vehicles are a part of the protection necessities for an airport to function and likewise to be licensed.
“I feel it’s commendable to say that the federal government is shopping for these vehicles for our airports which can even assist the airports in security features to enhance the certification course of and assist in lowering the price of insurance coverage for normal use of the airport. For a while now they haven’t purchased new hearth vehicles, that is coming in on the ninetieth minute,” he mentioned.
The PUNCH experiences that the Lion Volkan 6×6 Model, Main Aerodrome Rescue and Hearth Combating Autos, carries 14,000 litres of water, 1,700 litres of froth, 250kg powder capability every, and screens the discharge price of between 6,000 litres to 10,000 litres per minute can be deployed to the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe Worldwide Airport, Abuja, and Mallam Aminu Kano Worldwide Airport, Kano.
Additionally, with an acceleration price of 0-80km per hour in 30 seconds, every of the vehicles possess a limitless capability to discharge whereas in movement, they’re additionally geared up with under-chassis nozzles to deal with working gas hearth.
