We all know that this is harmattan season characterised by high winds and low humidity and in this season, wildfires are quite common. Recently (last week to be precise) a hotel in my area was completely razed due to fire from a nearby source- refuse being burnt! According to stories, the retired old man was hospitalized for days because of the shock.
Below are a few tips to help us avoid losses via such occurrences this season as this is the time when little spark can become a wildfire.

1. Clear your surroundings
Clear your surroundings of unwanted grasses especially the dried ones. Remove those climbers around your fence and windows. Many persons are careless. They have raised a house to a certain level but due to finance are yet to complete the house. Such houses are usually left in the middle of the bush especially in the rural and semi urban areas. Do yourself good to clear the bushy surroundings this season to avoid tears later. This applies to farmland as well. If you have a farm somewhere especially in the rural areas, do make sure that you clear around the farm because many rural dwellers in spite of several warnings will still burn bush and it will likely be burnt uncontrolled. Clear the bush around your oil palms, your cashew plantation, banana etc as the case may be. Remember some rat hunters will relish burning the bush but make sure the bush around your farm is properly cleared.
Government is also guilty of this. I have been to rural areas during the last festive periods to see all those SUBEB and UBE blocks of classrooms left in the bush. The communities can do a lot as well as the principals to avoid damages by fire.

2. Be careful of every source of fire
Candle lights, cigarettes, gas, firewoods etc... Are common examples. This is not the time to smoke and drop the butts of cigarettes around houses. This can lead to wildfire. Be double conscious now that the relative humidity is very low which can easily lead to rapid spread of fire. Don't carelessly leave that firewood after cooking (for rural dwellers).

3. Avoid packing your car carelessly
In this season, packing your car by a little bush while spending sometimes away is quite unsafe. Be very conscious of everything around where you pack your vehicle to avoid stories that touch.

4. Enlightenment via Television, Radio and Other Media sources
There is need to sensitize the people on the environmental impact of bush burning. Many set hectares of land on fire for the purpose of looking for rats. 100 rats are not even up to the weight of a matured ram! Many especially the rural dwellers are still ignorance of this and that why every year, we still face this same challenge again and again.

5. Do have all safety measures in place in case of fire outbreak
This is the time to make sure the smoke alarms are working properly. Do not take for granted the fire extinguishers as well. Fire service should make sure they are much more available and ready now than before. Farm/property owners should check their properties more often now than before.


Even while we pray for safety, let us do the needful to reduce losses due to carelessness this year. Wishing all NLanders safe 2019. Our efforts of years will no be wasted by fire this year. You can add more tips in your comments to help improve this article.

How I wish there is hamattan this year, the heat here n's die. Hamattan where art thou, abeg show face.

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