The minister said current events have overtaken the usefulness of the 1963 law.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said on Tuesday that the Nigerian government is working to repeal the Fire Service Act of 1963, to be replaced with a Fire and Rescue Service Act.
Mr Tunji-Ojo, who disclosed this at a ceremony for the remodelling and upgrading of the National Fire Academy, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), noted that current events have overtaken the usefulness of the 1963 law.
He said the job of the Federal Fire Service in the security architecture of countries has expanded beyond fire fighting to include rescue operations and security duties.
"The scope of fire service all over the world in 2024 is different from what it was in 1963 and we cannot continue to be held down to the apron of the past when we have an opportunity to create a future that we will all be proud of," he said.
"We will be working hard to see to the repeal and enactment of a Fire and Rescue Service Act. This present law of 1963 is obsolete."
He said the responsibilities of the fire service are beyond combating and preventing fire, adding that they should be the first responders in case of any emergency.
"You can only give what you have and that is why the government is going all the way to equip you with the required knowledge not just for the Nigerian market but also to be an exporter of rescue knowledge to the rest of Africa," he said.
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On academy
Speaking about the project of upgrading the National Fire Academy, Sheda, Abuja, the minister said the project completion timeline is in a year.
He said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would commission it as part of activities to mark his second year in office.
Mr Tunji-Ojo said the government would also establish a fire academy in each of the six geo-political zones in the country after the completion of the project. He added that the target was to bring the private sector into the fire service and rescue industry.
"It is only when we do that that over 200 million Nigerians can have the kind of rescue assurance that they need," he said.
Controller speaks
Speaking earlier, the Controller General of the Federal Fire Service, Jaji Abdulganiyu, commended the government for the decision to remodel the National Fire Academy (NFA).
He said trainees from all walks of life including the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy and other paramilitary agencies have been patronising the academy for training.
"We have received requests for collaboration and training both within and outside Nigeria, and notably was the request from the Gambian authorities expressing the need to have Nigeria's assistance in building the capacity of the personnel of the country's security agencies in firefighting, fire protection and rescue," he said.
