The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced plans to establish fire stations in public universities across Nigeria as part of efforts to enhance fire safety and protect critical national assets within higher institutions.
Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arch. Sonny Echono, made this known in Abuja when the Comptroller-General of the Federal Fire Service (FFS), Mr. Samuel Olumode Adeyemi, led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the Fund.
Echono commended the Federal Fire Service for its commitment to safeguarding lives and property, describing the visit as timely and strategic. He emphasised that TETFund’s primary mandate involves providing infrastructure for teaching, learning, and research across federal and state-owned tertiary institutions, noting that the value of assets developed through the Fund runs into several trillions of naira.
According to him, protecting these assets requires proactive and sustainable fire management strategies.
“We cannot provide these national assets without thinking about how to keep them functional and safe for the users,” Echono stated. “Fire protection is therefore essential — installing devices such as hydrants, sprinklers, and smoke detectors, while also ensuring that personnel are adequately trained to respond to fire emergencies.”
He disclosed that TETFund had experienced two fire incidents within the past year, prompting a comprehensive integrity assessment of its electrical systems and facilities. “Prevention is a more effective weapon, and that is what this collaboration seeks to achieve. We will support this initiative through targeted interventions, while the Fire Service provides the needed manpower, training, and technical expertise,” he added.
Echono further revealed that discussions were ongoing to formalise the partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which would cover staff training, risk assessment, and institutional safety audits.
In his remarks, the Comptroller-General of the Federal Fire Service, Mr. Adeyemi, praised TETFund for its transformative contributions to tertiary education in Nigeria. He expressed concern over the rising number of fire incidents recorded in universities across the country, leading to significant property loss and, in some cases, fatalities.
“In 2024 alone, we recorded fire outbreaks in three federal universities, including hostels where about 29 rooms were destroyed and several students lost their lives. This is why we are seeking stronger collaboration with TETFund,” Adeyemi said.
He proposed that all new and existing structures funded by TETFund should include fire safety provisions such as smoke detectors, alarm systems, and fire extinguishers. Adeyemi also suggested the creation of a joint inspection team to conduct regular fire safety assessments across public tertiary institutions.
He stressed the importance of establishing fire stations within universities and colleges of education to enable rapid emergency response.
“The Federal Fire Service is ready to deploy men and trucks round the clock to protect these institutions. We are also open to training collaborations and the development of our six existing training schools into research and capacity-building centres,” he added.
The collaboration between TETFund and the Federal Fire Service is expected to improve fire preparedness, enhance response capabilities, and protect billions of naira worth of infrastructure across Nigeria’s higher education sector.
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