FG decorates 2,620 newly promoted Federal Fire Service Personnel

The Federal Government has decorated about 2,620 personnel recently promoted within the Federal Fire Service (FFS), including five Deputy Controllers of Fire (DCF).

The decoration ceremony marked the elevation of officers to various ranks across the service. Those promoted include five Deputy Controllers of Fire, eight Assistant Controllers of Fire, 103 Chief Superintendents of Fire, 86 Superintendents of Fire, 1,912 Senior Fire Officers, and 152 Senior Fire Officers I, among others.

Speaking during the official decoration Wednesday in Abuja, FFS Controller General, Samuel Olumode Adeyemi, said the exercise is an outcome of years of commitment, repeated assessments, performance reviews, and institutional scrutiny.

He added that the beneficiaries were found worthy of greater trust and higher responsibility.

Adeyemi charged the promoted officers to think beyond routine, lead with vision and uphold the values of this Service.

“I commend the officers and men of the Service for their discipline, sacrifice, and understanding in complying with that directive in the interest of national safety.

“To our newly promoted senior officers, today marks a turning point. Your decoration is not merely a reward for past service; it is a call to higher standards. Your new ranks demand stronger leadership, deeper discipline, clearer judgment, and unwavering integrity. Lead by example, respect the chain of command, embrace innovation, and remember always that authority exists to serve.”

Speaking on his achievements since he assumed office, Adeyemi said: “From day one, my focus has been clear and simple: to reposition the Federal Fire Service for efficiency, sustained operational readiness, and effective public safety delivery, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration.

“That focus guided our actions. One of my early steps was direct engagement with our personnel. I undertook morale-boosting tours of fire stations within the Federal Capital Territory Command, not as a formality, but to speak directly with officers and men, listen to them, assess operational realities, and reassure them that leadership is present, attentive, and supportive.

“We also made deliberate efforts to strengthen welfare and institutional compassion. The Service approved and presented financial cheques to families of officers who paid the ultimate price in the line of duty, as well as to personnel injured while serving the nation. In addition, we reviewed the interest-free welfare loan scheme upward, increasing access from ₦300,000 to ₦500,000 per beneficiary, alongside the distribution of rice palliatives to ease the burden on our personnel. Welfare is not a privilege; it is a responsibility and we will continue to build on it.”

While commending the President and the Minister of Interior, the FFS CG added that his leadership ensure that operational capacity was strengthened through the deployment of forty (40) revamped, state-of-the-art fire appliances to commands across the country.

“We equally prioritised human capacity development. Over seven hundred (700) trainees are currently undergoing intensive fire and emergency response training in Jos, Plateau State.

“In addition, the Service conducted large-scale specialised training at Armed Forces Command Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State, under the exercise Haske Biyu programme, which recorded an even higher number of participating officers. This exercise significantly enhanced tactical competence, discipline, and inter-agency collaborations.

“We also invested in leadership development through a five-day executive training programme for senior and mid-level officers, ensuring that leadership at all levels remains adaptive, ethical, and performance-driven.

“Prevention remains central to our reforms, hence the inauguration of a Public and Private Building Audit Taskforce to identify fire safety gaps and enhance preparedness across public and private facilities nationwide. We have also strengthened collaboration with State Fire Services across the Federation, recognising that effective fire prevention and emergency response require seamless cooperation between federal and subnational institutions. This collaboration has improved coordination, joint response capability, and mutual operational support.”