The Commandant
General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Abdullahi Gana
Muhammadu, says the Corps has deployed 2,300 Personnel to the North East to
protect the liberated Towns and IDP Camps out of the 5,000 to the region
requested for by the Honourable Minister of Defence, and 1,000 to be deployed
by November 1. This assignment is in line with the Corps mandate in Disaster
Management, Mitigation, Rescue and Rehabilitation.
The CG made this
revelation during the oversight function of the House Committee on Interior,
ably led by its Chairman, Jagaba Adams Jagaba to the NSCDC National Headquarters,
Abuja
The Chairman House Committee on Interior, Hon.
Jagaba Adams Jagaba noted, that the purpose of their visit to the Corps headquarters,
and cautioned that the Corps Personnel should not jeopardize the confidence, faith,
respect and trust the populace have for them, rather, they should continue to
work hard to maintain their reputation.
He assured that
the 2017 budget for the Corps will be better than the current 2016 budgetary
allocation, to enable the NSCDC to embark on good trainings of the Corps
Personnel. Adams highlighted on Personnel who have paid the supreme price and
the inability of their beneficiaries to get their entitlements on time,
beckoning on the CG to act on the issue and have all the matters addressed.
Jagaba again,
spoke on the need for Officers and Men to be properly motivated for the
services they render to the country, maintaining that a well motivated
Personnel will stop at nothing to deliver good services at all times. He noted,
that if the Personnel are not well motivated accordingly, Officers and Men who
bear fire-arms can go hay-wire and could misbehave with their riffles. To avoid
this kind of avoidable incident(s) Officers and Men welfare is very key to good
service delivery.
He emphasized
on the issue of discipline among Personnel of the Corps, he also observed that
there must be standardization of the Corps Command structure with State
Commands and local government offices being renovated to standard. He
therefore, requested the CG to put forward all the Corps needs for urgent attention.
The Commandant
General posited that the Civil Defence is an International Organization of
which the NSCDC is the number 66th registered member. In Nigeria, the Corps
mandate enables the Agency to be the sole protector of Critical Infrastructure
and National Assets in Nigeria. The NSCDC also regulates the Private Guards Company
(PGC), which the organization has succeeded in sanitizing and has transformed
the PGC into a very professional sector.
Gana posited that the Corps have challenges,
highlighting that our Officers and Men work in all the nook and crannies of the
774 local government areas in the country, and the NSCDC does not have barracks
to live in. He thanked Governor Kashim
Shettima of Borno State for assisting the Officers and Men in the North-East.
The Leader of the Civil Defence in his
summation noted, '' Among the Agencies under the Ministry of Interior, the
NSCDC has the least budgetary allocation, and also the least budgetary
allocation released. up till now the promoted Officers and Men in the Corps
have not been paid their promotion arrears and new salaries, I trust that from
now till the year runs-off all these arrears will be paid all the Personnel
affected, though, these promotion arrears was not built into the 2016 budget, but
with your visit I am sure, you will look into the matter ''.
The Corps helmsman reiterated that the Corps
is unable to carry out certain responsibilities confronting it due to
inadequate release of the budgetary allocation. He therefore, appealed for the
reversal of the Corps Life Insurance Policy
of Personnel which earlier was managed by the NSCDC before it was removed to
the Head of Service. There is delay in terms of payment of staff entitlement
affected by occupational hazards, which before was not so.
The Honourable Members who spoke in unison,
thanked the CG for the good job done so far, and advised the CG that the
Welfare of Officers and Men is very key, and very important, and should be accorded priority always. They
observed that there is serious shortfall of budgetary allocation to the Corps
to discharge its constitutional mandate.
The Chairman of the House Committee on
Interior, Hon. Jagaba Adams Jagaba, again, mandated the Commandant General to
put forward all the needs of the Corps for it be addressed, and promised that
the NSCDC will surely have a better workable 2017 budgetary allocation, and on
behalf of the Committee Members charged the NSCDC to forever continue in their
superlative performance nationwide.
ACC EMMANUEL OKEH
CDPRO
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