NYC Fire Department’s Budget Towers Over Lagos’ Total Allocation, Says Sanwo-Olu

By Victory Bernard

Lagos, Nigeria- In a striking revelation, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has disclosed that the total budget of Lagos State is not comparable to the $2.6 billion budget of New York City’s fire department.

It is important to note that the total Lagos State Budget for 2025 is N3.367 Trillion Naira which is equivalent to $2.2 Billion Dollars, affirming the statement from the Governor.

While reaffirming the state government’s dedication to enhancing fire safety and emergency response measures throughout Lagos, he underscored the need for significant investment in firefighting resources.

Speaking at the Lagos International Fire Safety Conference 2.0, Governor Sanwo-Olu emphasized the importance of building an economy that can withstand shocks and respond to the state’s growing population.

He highlighted the government’s efforts to promote fire safety awareness, particularly among children, through training programs and community engagement.

The governor noted that the state has seen a significant reduction in fire incidents, which he said can be attributed to the deployment of technology, such as drones and smoke detectors, and community engagement.

He emphasized the need for continued collaboration between the government, private sector, and communities to maintain a fire-free Lagos.

According to the governor, “The budget of the fire department in New York City is more than the total budget of Lagos. So you can see that we’re just scratching it. The total budget for the fire department for 2025, 2026 is about $2.6 billion.

“Our total budget as a state is shortly about that figure. So what it means is that we are still not there yet. We still have to be able to raise a lot more funding. We still have to raise a lot more infrastructure, development, ability to respond in a big city like this.”

The Governor also stated the need for increased community engagements as he implored traditional leaders to take the message of safety back to their communities.

“That is the reason we have all of our traditional institutions also here. That’s the kind of advocacy that we continue to and we’re ensuring that our communities and our leaders, CDC, CDA are here. They are taking the messages back to the nooks and crannies of our communities.

“How do we deploy appropriate technology in terms of response, activation, and response time? How do we use that with all of our community engagement, civil society groups, traditional institutions, neighborhood, CDC, CDA, market men and women? All of them are the relevant community engagement which speaks to the team for this year’s conference,” Sanwo-Olu said.

Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Mr. Gbenga Oyerinde, who also spoke at the conference, highlighted the need for a rethink in the state’s strategy for fire safety and emergency response.

He emphasized the importance of public awareness campaigns and knowledge sharing to prevent fire disasters and promote effective emergency management.

“Given the increased frequency and severity of fire incidents, it has become crucial to rethink and rejig our strategy. Hence, fire conference 2.0.”

“The devastating consequences of this incident on lives, livelihoods, property and infrastructure demand that we work collaboratively and innovatively to continually safeguard our communities.”

He added that, “We recognize that fire safety is not the sole responsibility of government and all emergency respondents alone. It is a shared mandate that requires active participations from individuals, communities and the private sector.”

The conference, which brought together local and international experts, aimed to promote best practices in fire safety and emergency response. It featured technical sessions, exhibitions, and trainings, and provided a platform for stakeholders to share insights and expertise.