A civil society organisation, Save Nigeria Movement says has commended the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) over the last 20 years of its existence saying the nation was proud of the contribution the corps has made in security operations.

The CSO with the mandate of engaging proactively with government agencies in the areas of good governance and policy reforms, also passed a vote of confidence on leadership of the corps.

The NSCDC which is tasked with safeguarding national assets, coordinating intelligence gathering and sharing with sister security agencies and performing other counter-insurgency and anti-terrorism operations towards serving civilian lives has over the years become a household name because of the professionalism of officers and men of the Corps

In a press release duly signed by its Convener Rev. Solomon Semaka and made available to journalists in Abuja, the group revealed that it has done some due diligence on the reforms of the security outfit and is confident that the Corps has performed beyond the expectations of Nigerians.

According to the release, “as watchdogs of the society, we have a sacred duty to hold government agencies accountable for their policies and operations especially where they are fail to meet the expectations of Nigerians. It is our duty to call them to order when they go below expectations and when they’re performing brilliantly, we must not shy away from commending and encouraging them. The NSCDC has consistently done well as an emerging security outfit with a unique mandate which it has pursued with passion and dedication over the last 20 years.

“Before the establishment of NSCDC, Nigeria faced an array of security threats against public assets including sabotage and vandalisation of electrical installations, oil pipelines, railway tracks, stealing from government hospitals, schools and offices as well as the expropriation of natural resources amongst others. It was in order to stem the tide of continuous theft and sabotage of national assets that the Federal Government established the NSCDC as a formidable para-military agency to help tackle this challenge. We are delighted to inform Nigerians that most of these crimes have now become a thing of the past as the NSCDC had other security agencies have collaboratively deployed their collective intelligence and competence in tackling these crimes”

The rights group hailed the leadership of the Corps and particularly expressed confidence in the current NSCDC Commandant General (CG) NSCDC, Dr. Audi Abubakar and all the 36 Commands including the FCT for upholding a high level of professionalism and effective civil engagement.

“The NSCDC has continued to win accolades and recognition all over the world for the professional conduct of its officers and men. The recognition of the European Union and other Election Observer groups shows that the NSCDC is corrupt free, professional in the discharge of its mandate and result oriented. The NSCDC has maintained strict discipline and periodic trainings over the years to ensure compliance with international best practices, conventions and protocols regarding civil relations. Indeed the NSCDC is Nigeria’s flagship security agency and we urge it always to continue to deliver quality service to Nigerians”, the statement added.

The CSO revealed that the NSCDC has demonstrated competence by the deployment of digital surveillance gadgets and technology towards curbing vandalism, theft and illegal mining of natural resources across the country as well as other laudable initiatives that have drastically tackled crimes such as kidnapping, terrorism and sundry crimes.

“The NSCDC especially under its current leadership has achieved milestones that has changed the face of the agency. The digital surveillance system deployed by the NSCDC has continued to outsmart criminals, rendering their enterprises useless. To have covered the entire country with its web of surveillance high-tech is commendable. In no distant time, real-time surveillance of the entire country can be made possible through this pioneering work of the NSCDC in collaboration with other sister security agencies.

“It is also on record that the NSCDC has pioneered the Safe School Initiative in response to the incessant cases of kidnapping and abduction of school children that became very rampant because of widespread insecurity especially in the northern part of the country. This initiative has, since its inception, drastically reduced the incidence of school abductions as it has deterred criminal elements who once exploited the porous nature of most schools especially in the rural areas for their criminal enterprise. We must therefore, support the NSCDC especially by providing critical intelligence to enable them respond proactively to threats.
Save Nigeria

“The establishment of the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’s SIS) has been a breathe of real fresh air. This units has functioned effectively, leading to high profile successes including the thwarting of kidnapping attempts and other criminal operations across the country. This elite squad has galvanised intelligence sharing to another level. This is what Nigeria needs to fight terror and insecurity headlong.

“Worthy of mention as an achievement of the Corps over the last 20 years is the interventions of the NSCDC and other sister security agencies in the Niger Delta region which has minimize crude oil theft and the vandalisation of critical oil and gas installations in the region in line with Mr. President’s economic recovery plan. the statement added.

The CSO also hailed the current leadership of the NSCDC for “the establishment of a Special Female Arms Squad by the NSCDC. The success recorded by these brave women has shown that women have what it takes and given the right training, motivation and opportunities, can contribute to nation building. By this singular act, the NSCDC has joined the list of very few security agencies who have prioritised women and give them opportunities to achieve their full potential.

While passing a meritorious vote of confidence on the NSCDC over the past 20 years, the CSO adviced the leadership to prioritize and maintain “the prompt payment of salaries and timely promotion as well as training courses for personnel, the establishment of training commands across the country, office accommodation and residential quarters to maintain output and productivity of personel.

This in no small measure, will motivate the officers to dedicate themselves to duty and it’ll be a great disservice for us as a CSO not to acknowledge and promote excellence and professionalism in return. Rev Semaka added.