The immediate past General Manager of the Safety Department, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr Elifue Omokhugbo Agbi has urged the organisation to ensure fire fighting staff are trained to competency level so that they can be relied upon in the event of any emergency in or around the airports.
Agbi called on the Federal Government to also support the FAAN management with the wherewithal to enable it equip the department with necessary equipment and knowledge so as to be at par with global standards.
Agbi, while speaking at a ceremony to mark his official retirement from service in Lagos, said that capacity building among the workforce should also be prioritised saying Nigeria cannot afford to lag behind in modern fire fighting technology.
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His words “The pace at which officers are trained is not enough.The authority is not having the wherewithal to fund this. It is up to the federal ministry of aviation to support FAAN in doing this such that they can rely on the workforce they have because if that workforce is competent, you can discipline any officer that fails or engages in dereliction of duty or that is not responding as required.
“They (FAAN) should continue with capacity building which is very important. When you train staff to competency level, that is one, they should be provided with the equipment to work, and then there should be opportunity to interact among one another and be introduced to the public or the organisations around the airport.”