Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC) Weekly Subject Experts’ Presentation was held at Hall C, TY Buratai Block, Abuja. The only presentations for the day was made by the Subject Experts on Middle East/North Africa and Turkey.
The presentation was made by Brig Gen S Musa subject expert on Middle East/North Africa and Turkey, he focused his presentation on, Turkey Mourns Hotel Fire Dead as Efforts to Identify them Continue. According to BBC report of 30 January 2025, ‘’a day of mourning is under way in Turkey for the 79 victims of a fire that engulfed a popular ski resort hotel in the country’s north-west. The fire broke out at the 12-storey Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu at 03:27 local time (00:27 GMT) during a busy holiday period when 234 people were staying there. It took 12 hours to put out. An investigation has been launched into the incident and there have been conflicting reports about whether the hotel was up to safety standards. Nine people have been arrested, including the hotel’s owner.
President Recap Tayyip Erdogan, who visited Bolu on Wednesday, said those responsible for negligence leading to the fire “will be held accountable”. Flags are flying at half-mast across Turkey in memory of the victims of the fire, while the first funerals are being held. The authorities said they were assessing all risks, including the possibility of collapse, for the building. Alongside the fatalities, 51 people were injured in the fire, according to health minister Kemal Memisoglu. One was receiving treatment in intensive care, and 17 people have been discharged. Relatives have been gathering outside the hospitals where they are being treated. A person the BBC met in front of the morgue said that he had received news that seven of his relatives had died and that he had visited hospitals looking for their bodies.
In his analysis and lessons for Nigeria, Brig Gen S Musa stressed that, recurrent fire outbreaks in public buildings in Nigeria have so far been a concerning issue among the general public, investors, researchers and the government. Odogwu (2021) claims that Nigeria’s economy is suffering greatly as a result of the negative effects of fire occurrences which have caused the country and its people much suffering and further weakened the economy and affected its national security. Although Nigeria lacks a reliable National Fire Safety Code and reliable disaster database, the country does not need an expert to explain that this condition portends significant financial harm, worsens the country’s poverty and development indices. For instance, Ajayi (2019) stated that over N5 trillion was lost to fire between 2013 and 2018, according to the official numbers provided by the Nigeria Fire Service at the 2018 Fire Fighters Day in Abuja (Ugwu, 2018; Ajayi, 2019). The Nigeria Fire Service also revealed that Nigeria has recorded the loss of 100 lives and properties worth N67.1 billion to fire outbreaks in 2024 alone.
Given the above background, there are some lessons Nigeria can draw from the ski resort hotel fire incident: Ensure that buildings and infrastructure adhere holistically to safety standards, Regular safety inspections can help prevent fires and other accidents, Ensure Emergency Preparedness. This can be done by Developing Emergency Response Plans which can help minimize damage and loss of life, Conduct Regular Safety Drills: Conducting regular emergency drills can help ensure that staff and occupants are prepared to respond to emergencies, Installing fire safety equipment such as fire alarms and sprinkler systems, can help detect and extinguish fires quickly, Ensure Fire Extinguishers are Functional, Accessible and easily Located.
As a nation, enforcing building codes and regulations, applying sanctions for infractions, for example, can help ensure that buildings are designed and constructed with safety in mind and this can prevent or minimise the risk of fire outbreaks, Conduct Regular Inspections can help identify potential safety hazards and ensure that buildings are compliant with regulations, Public Awareness. Educating the public (on a regular basis) on fire safety and prevention can help reduce the risk of fires, Promoting fire safety awareness through campaigns and outreach programs can help ensure that people are alert and prepared to respond to fires.
He recommended that, the Federal Government of Nigeria should improve on National Fire Safety Code that can efficiently reduce fire outbreaks in public buildings, reduce the socioeconomic lost and harmful smoke to the environment in Nigeria.
