General
How Government Can Avert High-Rise Buildings Disasters
By Dipo Olowookere
One of the recent high-rise buildings disasters that shook the nation was the collapse of a 21-storey building in Ikoyi, Lagos, which was still under construction.
It drew the attention of many Nigerians because it claimed the lives of several persons, including the owner of the property as well as casual workers on the project said to cost billions of Naira.
It was later gathered that one of the reasons for the unfortunate incident was because the owner did not allegedly get approval to construct a 21-storey building as the approval was for a lesser number.
At a 2-day Tall Building Fire Safety Conference in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer of Surveillant Fire Limited, Mr Adejola Jumade, advised the government to pay attention to the designs of high-rise buildings.
“When you talk of disaster, the first thing is design. What are the steps we take to ensure that the design we have for tall buildings is tailored toward safety?
“Aside from that, government agencies like Physical and Urban Planning need to ensure that mechanical and electrical designs are looked into critically to ensure that the fire design they have tailored to curtain fire in case of any issue,” he said.
He used the occasion to call for more partnership and collaboration for firefighters in the country to enable optimal performance, stressing the need for more investment in the fire service.
“Honestly speaking, the firefighters are trying their best with the limited capacity and facility they have. The local, state and federal agencies need to work together to ensure that people that need to follow regulations do so. Interagency rivalry needs to stop; we need serious collaboration,” he submitted.
On his part, Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, said that the federal government was working out modalities for an armed escort for firemen on assignment to deter touts and miscreants’ attacks.
“There is the unique challenge of touts and miscreants attacking firemen and their equipment in a fire scene. This is deplorable. We are working out modalities for an armed escort for firemen on assignment to deter these undesirable elements,” the Minister, who was represented by the Acting Comptroller-General of the Federal Fire Service, Mr Samson Karebo, disclosed.
He said the government procured DG54 Aerial Platform Fire Fighting Truck with 54 metres height capacity to reach the 18th floor of high-rise buildings, which is “stationed in Lagos where we have the largest concentration of high rise buildings in Nigeria.”
“We are also working with the Nigeria Air Force to be able to deploy planes for aerial fire-bombing of bushfires, high rise buildings or other wildfires requiring aerial attacks. Between 2015 and 2020, the federal government provided 106 modern fire-fighting trucks to the FSS.
“Last year, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) also approved infrastructure upgrade comprising 44 fire-fighting engines, 15 water tankers, 15 rapid intervention fire engines (not conventional ones) that can go into the nooks and crannies to respond to distress calls and 20 basic life support ambulances,” Mr Aregbesola said.
Corroborating his views, the Director, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Mrs Margaret Abimbola Adeseye, appealed to Nigerians to be very conscious of things that can trigger fire outbreaks.
“Endeavour to switch off all electrical gadgets after use. We advise that people should be careful with cooking in the marketplace. Some people will leave their iron on the table without removing it from the socket when electricity come back it can result in a fire outbreak,” she said.
Mrs Adeseye called for more understanding with firefighters, saying it is not acceptable to attack firefighters, “regrettably, in some cases hoodlum use to attack firefighters without putting into consideration the distance they are coming from.”
“To tackle some of these challenges, the state government has commenced the renovation of 16 fire service stations with the construction of additional five fire service stations. This is the first of its kind that I am witnessing in my 25 years in service. This will help us to address the challenges of proximity,” she stated.
By Dipo Olowookere
Entrepreneurs living in Ogun State have been given an opportunity to get about €30,000 in funding support their businesses for expansion.
The beneficiaries would be expected to come up with innovative solutions to challenges in the circular economy.
They will undergo a six-month training programme designed to prepare them for the tasks ahead.
Apart from the monetary benefits, the intending participants, who must be between the ages of 18 and 35, will receive enterprise development training and capacity building, have access to local and international markets, enjoy mentorship from industry experts and peer networks, and get personalized coaching and business support.
Business Post reports that this platform was provided by the Orange Corners Nigeria (OCN) Incubation Programme.
The initiative has already called for applications for the 13th cohort, with the deadline fixed for Sunday, May 18, 2025.
Applicants must operate in the circular economy, agriculture, health, renewable energy, or technology sectors to qualify for the scheme exclusively for Ogun residents.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian government has inaugurated a special inter-ministerial committee on research and innovation to ensure food security in Nigeria and slash the cost of food by 50 per cent.
The team was also charged on energy security and curtailing the nation’s dependence on import.
The Vice President, Mr Kashim Shettima, inaugurated the panel at the State House Abuja with a charge to them to work towards cutting down Nigeria’s import bills by 50 per cent.
He said the group is part of ongoing efforts by the administration of President Bola Tinubu to pool intellectual and financial capital to “create the cockpit from which Nigeria’s innovation economy will be piloted.”
“We are here to breathe life not into this Committee, but into a bold mission: to build Nigeria into an innovation-driven, trillion-dollar economy within a decade. The future we desire is not something we inherit. It is something we build,” he declared.
On its terms of reference, Mr Shettima said it is to coordinate action in five strategic sectors with the power to transform society.
He listed the committee to include “Agriculture and Climate Resilience, where research innovation must feed our people and protect our planet; Manufacturing Excellence, where we break our dependency on imports and build proudly Nigerian supply chains; Healthcare Innovation, where we shift from importing medicines to exporting medical breakthroughs; Natural Resource Optimisation, where we stop selling raw materials and start exporting ingenuity; and Energy Security, where we power our economy and secure our future.”
The Vice President explained that a major target for setting up the panel was to reduce Nigeria’s food import bill by 50 per cent, maintaining that “in each of these areas, we will pursue missions, not just metrics.
“We will not be content with data for dashboards—we want deliverables that change lives. What will it take to reduce our food import bill by 50 per cent? How do we triple local pharmaceutical production? Let us align policy, research, and investment to answer these questions and achieve measurable, meaningful outcomes,” he added.
Mr Shettima disclosed that the team is a prelude to a Presidential Plenary on Innovation approved by President Tinubu, saying the high-level plenary, which will be held annually, will be presided over by the President himself.
“This committee is only the beginning. President Tinubu has approved a Presidential Plenary on Innovation—an annual high-level forum that will bring together academia, research institutes, industry, civil society, and the Nigerian people to align our national innovation priorities.
“This plenary will be addressed by Mr President himself, because innovation is a presidential area of priority. It is central to his vision for a new Nigeria,” the VP explained in a statement.
Present at the inauguration were the ministers of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Mr Uche Nnaji, Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Abubakar Kyari; Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Mr Bosun Tijani; Mr Balarabe Lawal; Mr Idi Mukhtar and representatives of the Ministers of Education, Budget and Economic Planning, and Foreign Affairs, among other members of the committee.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has made a pledge to electricity generating companies known as Gencos on the payment of 50 per cent of a N4 trillion debt to avert a promised halt in electricity generation in the country.
The Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, made this promise on Thursday, saying that while the government can’t pay the entire N4 trillion, it would clear N2 trillion before the end of the year.
Business Post reports that of the N4 trillion owed, N2 trillion is for electricity generated in 2024, while around N1.9 trillion represents legacy debts.
On Monday, GenCos threatened to shut down the country’s power generation over the debt owed by the federal government.
The GenCos lamented that the mounting liabilities were crippling their ability to operate and threatening a total shutdown of electricity generation in Nigeria.
Mr Adelabu said the government has put in place measures to defray the debt through budgetary allocation and promissory notes.
“Almost all of the debt is inherited, while about half came from 2024.
“There are plans under way to clear the debt; while I am not sure that the debt will be cleared 100 per cent, it will be paid gradually.
“The modes of payment are of two ways: we have some budgetary allocation that will facilitate cash payment, and we are also in discussion with Gencos to get them some promissory notes. I can tell you that before now to the end of the year, we are going to pay close to N2 trillion of the 4 trillion,” he said.
He also revealed that Nigeria has achieved a 35 per cent reduction in electricity subsidies following a tariff increase implemented last year for some users.
The government last year eliminated subsidies for the 15 per cent of customers classified as premium users of electricity, including households and businesses consuming larger amounts of electricity under Band A, meaning they paid higher than other classes from Band B to E.
Mr Adelabu said this targeted tariff adjustment has yielded significant results, with “the market generating an additional N700 billion in revenue, reflecting a 70 per cent increase.”
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