Nigeria to acquire firefighting aircraft
The aircraft would be operated by the country’s Air Force in support of the Federal Fire Service (FFS)
Nigeria’s Federal Government plans to procure a firefighting aircraft for each of the country’s six geopolitical zones. The acquisitions will support the Nigerian Air Force’s intention to work with the FFS, responding to large scale fires and other disasters.
The announcement was made by Rauf Aregbesola, the country’s Federal Minister of Interior, at a press conference in Kubwa, Abuja, on 16 May.
Aregbesola said: “Our attention should be in the acquisition of aircraft that can carry large scale solutions to bomb such large-scale fires in the six geo-political zones of the country.”
The statement follows on from an announcement in February 2022 that the FFS and the Nigerian Air Force would develop a partnership to deliver aerial firefighting services.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca was a Junior Editor at the Voyageur Group. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.