Buhari Changes Fire Service Boss After Next Cash & Carry Inferno

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed a new Comptroller-General for the Federal Fire Service, ignoring the calls to extend the tenure of Ibrahim Alhaji Liman, who clocked the statutory 35 years of service in December 2021.

Deputy Comptroller-General, Karebo Samson, will replace Liman in acting capacity, according to a statement made available to THE WHISTLER on Thursday.

The statement signed by the Federal Fire Service spokesperson, Ugo Huan, said Samson thanked Buhari “for the opportunity to serve while recognising the forthrightness of the Honourable Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola who ensured his emergence as the Acting Comptroller General.”

Huan said that the acting CG “promised to ensure that men of the operational department are motivated to be at their best in the discharge of their duty,” adding that he “called on officer and men (of the service) to maintain a high level of discipline (and) assured them that he will carry everyone along to move the service forward.”

Meanwhile, prior to Liman’s exit from service, there had been calls on President Buhari by Civil Society Organizations to extend the outgoing CG’s tenure for 18 months.

Yinka Sotade of the Coalition of Civil Society had said that Liman deserved the tenure extension because of “the great strides achieved by the service” under him.

Sotade had argued that, “the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria grants the President express powers to consider and approve the extension of tenure to any public officer on grounds that include but are not limited to good performances.”

THE WHISTLER reports that President Buhari’s appointment of a new acting CG for the Federal Fire Service came few days after the popular Next Cash and Carry supermarket was completely razed by fire.