Since it’s establishment about two decades ago with an enabling act to secure and also play a complimentary roles in Nigeria’s security architecture, The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC had stood out on its activities in recent times.
With four leadership and two years down the line, after the assumption of duty by the current Commander -General, Ahmed Abubakar Audi, aside the statutory functions and mandates of the paramilitary sector, the welfare of officers and men had been prioritized and at the front burner, a situation that had improved performance and achieved higher productivity in the system.
The positive development was a fall out from the previous order where working tools and equipments, statutory functions and obligations were been overlooked, with lack of funding and attention from the constituted authority.
But with the ascension of the current Commander- General, there was a sharp reverse and departure in the trend of actions and inactions, which had brought into the fore the efficacy of carrying out it’s basic functions, and also playing a complimentary roles in it’s given assignments or joint programs.
The Civil Defence Corps that was seen from the angle of a voluntary organisations that metamorphosed into a para military organization was better placed in the last few years into carrying out it’s basic functions inline with the constitutional provisions.
With deep involvement in all security issues and checkmating the activities of non- state actors including terrorism and vandals, the Corps which hitherto was an organization viewed with disdain and neglect, was now better placed towards ensuring civil peace across the society.
This was a sharp depature from the previous order shrouded in lack of motivation, non- payment of statutory allowances and emoluments, as well as inadequate working tools that had reduced it’s functions to mere nomenclature.
Before now, the activities of Civil Defence Corps was better seen as not to protect the citizenry, but providing employments for jobless Nigerians without job specifications and descriptions, but fulfilling all righteousness.
Recently , with encouragement both in emoluments ,welfare as well as provision of equipment and strict monitoring and supervision, the paramilitary sector had developed and improved their statutory services under the leadership of it’s Commander- General, Abubakar Ahmed Audi whose administrative wisdom had driven the Corps to better performance and results.
Conscious of it’s shortcomings, Audi prioritisation of staff welfare and improved capacity development, through trainings programs and retrainings along with prompt payment of salaries and allowances had become a watershed in the last two years.
The recent trainings of personal and subsequent payments of seven years arears of allowances among other entitlements had reshaped the feelings of the officers, that are now better placed into carrying out it’s mandate across the country.
The gesture by the Audi leadership rare in recent times and the history of the paramilitary agency, was also not common in the public service from all indications.
The positive development had not only encouraged performance, but dedication to duty, patriotism, and the zeal to drive the workforce into carrying out a national rebirth on its activities.
The rarity was the promise come through of the current leadership, having shown alot of zeal and desire to transform the agency into protecting lives and properties of Nigerians, along with assets of the country.
With renewed zeal and commitment to duty having achieved so much in the area of staff welfare and provision of equipments , no doubt the lingering non- payment of arears spanned for seven years had been nipped in bud, paving way for semaless provisions going forward without hitches, that will translate to delivering the desired results from the Corps from the top to bottom.
Having breaking the records , his three predecessors could not attain while in office, no doubt , the current management under Audi has not only perform creditably well, but bringing the Corps at par with other security organs.
These ,among many other achievements in the last two years, had driven a robust security policies of government in collaboration with other security organs in Nigeria.
Written By ABUBAKAR YUSUF, A Public Affairs Analyst with email address yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.
