A civil society and anti-corruption advocacy group, Guild of Civil Societies and Media Executives for Equity, Justice and Transparency in Nigeria (GOCMEJ) has endorsed the amicable settlement of conflicts and dispute resolution between herdsmen and farmers, cattle rustlers and villagers; community leaders and bandits all championed by the current management of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

According to GOCMEJ, this endorsement is primarily based on the resolution of over 75,000 cases under the able leadership of Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, the current Commandant-General of the Corps.

This is coming on the heels of the recent commendation of the NSCDC CG by community leaders, NGOs, CSOs, Community-based Organizations (CBOs), including international development partners that praised what they referred to as efforts by the Peace and Conflict Management Department of the NSCDC under the present leadership for its proactive initiatives in encouraging efficient service delivery and productivity of its personnel.

This was contained in a statement issued in Lagos by the President/Country Representative, Omoba Kenneth Aigbegbele¸and the National Secretary, Comrade James Okoronkwo, after a stakeholders’ meeting on “Development Index Evaluation Assessment Parameters and Performance Indicators in MDAs across the country.”

The organization applauded and commended the present leadership of the NSCDC for its vision and mission and the ability to implement its mandate as regards the settlements of disputes through Advisory Dispute Resolution (ADR) between the warring parties.

GOCMEJ also re-emphasized the importance of conflict and dispute resolution mechanism in today’s contemporary issues and conflict management, as well as commended the efforts of the NSCDC leadership for thinking out of the box and finding lasting solutions in today’s crises-prone society, where conflicts have become the order of the day between border communities, chiefdoms and localities.

The organization recalled that the Peace and Conflict Management Department of the NSCDC has, indeed, spearheaded a new paradigm shift in conflict resolution in the para-military agency, thus breaking new grounds in conflict management across the country.

This amazing development has made issues and conflicts to be resolved within a reasonable time-frame and the parties involved embrace peace and the amicable resettlement proffered, by identifying existing gaps, designing best approaches to conflict and applying conflict models and stimulating trends peculiar to Nigerian culture, geo-political zones and secular nature.

GOCMEJ affirmed that the disciplinary measures put in place and Audi’s zero-level tolerance for corruption and laxity have increased the personnel morale and esprit-de-corps since inception of the Service and called on all officers and men under the CG to give him the needed support and encouragement to move the NSCDC forward.

One of the areas pointed out by the group is the domestication of forensic psychological profiling of personnel that it said has reduced the incessant indiscipline and nonchalant attitude hitherto displayed within the corps and other vices dangerous to the well-being of their colleagues and society in general.

The statement also endorsed the repositioning and reformation process currently taking place in all sectors of the Corps as a result of training and capacity building of management and officers of the Service, prompt payment of arrears, salaries, emoluments and allowances, including promotions of personnel never seen before in the Service to enhance service delivery and productivity.

The organization alluded to the reduced criminalities across critical national assets in the country to the transformational philosophy and sterling qualities coupled with Audi’s management dexterity in turning around the Service that is comparable and attuned to best international practices.

GOCMEJ emphasized on Audi’s blueprint as encapsulated by the Commandant-General’s zero tolerance on corruption and indiscipline and called for more synergies and intelligence sharing amongst sister security agencies to reduce kidnappings, banditry and activities of criminal elements in the country, as echoed by the CG in his daily briefings to men and officers of the NSCDC.

The organization attested that the giant strides achieved so far by the current leadership is as a result of strategic directions taken on the commissioning of the standard curriculum for NSCDC for entrenching career progression, effective supervision and regulation of the Private Guard Companies in Nigeria.

This is connected to a new reinvigorated legal department; successes in anti-vandalism, protection of farmers, physical security at mining sites, and the establishment of Special Female Squad (SFS) and the creation of an Intelligence Squad under the CG’s office for effective monitoring and prosecutorial duties.

The Guild also made a clarion call that the national budget allocated to the NSCDC be increased in view of the pivotal role it plays in reduction of criminal elements against Nigeria’s critical national assets spread all over the country and the reduction in kidnappings in our schools as a result of the “School Initiative.”

In view of the foregoing, the Guild thereby passed a vote of confidence on the current leadership of the NSCDC for its transparent, prudent management of resources and transformational blueprint as encapsulated by the Audi-led management; this will encourage him to maintain and sustain the status quo of excellence.

GOCMEJ also called on the international community to partner and collaborate with the Corps for effective human capacity development as the NSCDC cannot do it on its own alone.