The Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) since its inception has evolved? from an insignificant status to an enviable height and has become an organisation to be reckoned with in the International Civil Defense Oganisation -the world body regulating? civil defense organisations . The helmsman of the organisation in Nigeria, Dr. Ade Abolurin in this interview with JAMES UWEM, x-rays some of the organisation’s land mark achievements and posits that it has successfully prosecuted 30 oil pipe vandals in 2012. ?
Since your appointment? as the helmsman of NSCDC, what impact have you made?
We thank God that we? came into an office accommodation that I could describe as a duplex; but we have taken a giant step to building a permanent site along the Airport road, where we have the Civil Defense Academy, as well as the administrative blocks.
We can also talk of the establishment of three institutions, the ICT College in Abuja, where we are training people towards ICT. The College of Disaster and Peace Studies in? Katsina State, the College of? Security Management at Abeokuta in Ogun State,and others. In a short time, we’ll be opening another school in the eastern part of Nigeria.
The corps on many occasions had performed creditably well to actualise the mandate given to it in the area of checking of vandalism, and? in maintaining peace and in conflict resolutions, in resource management, in being? proactive in countering terrorism. We have also worked assiduously to reduce to the minimum acts of vandalism in the oil industry, as well as the telecommunication sector.
Our mannerism when we? participated in helping to curtail riots in the last oil subsidy protest has been well commended by Nigerians, and we hope to keep it up.
In a country of over 160 million people, what should be the ideal work force of NSCDC? Do you have sufficient manpower???
Sufficiency can be determined by government, but the fact of the case is that on our regular personnel, we have about 43,000 and about 160,000 volunteers. What we have done in our own case in order to manage prudently the resources available to us is to put our personnel to maximum usage especially when we are saddled with certain ad hoc assignments that are of national interest, we make do with the number that we have.
It is not easy to think that we will ever get the ideal number that we require to meet all the needs of the corps, however, we know that by the time we convert the volunteers to regular personnel, we will definitely have a sizeable number close to what we require.
Has the NSCDC? been getting enough funding?
We have been told to always be contented with our allocations since there are other agencies in the ministry. If there is anything to complain about, we complain to the minister of Interior, our supervising ministry. However, we would say as far as the corps is concerned, we don’t have any reason to go and solicit or request for further funds; our minister does so on our behalf.
For this year and in other years, we’ve been having joint budget and jointly defended at the National Assembly by the ministry of Interior. The figures are open secret. Whenever it is approved, since it is a public document, it will be known by all. I want to place on record that we have never had any course to complain, government at any point in time when we have genuine need, always comes to our aid. That is why to the best of our ability, we are doing our best!
For countries that have similar security bodies, what is the NSCDC comparative ranking?
Contrary to erroneous impression, the NSCDC belongs? to an umbrella body called, World International Civil Defense? Organisation based in Geneva. The organisation control, coordinate and regulate activities of all the civil defense corps globally.
As at the time Nigeria registered as a member nation, we registered as the 66th country-member-state. That goes to show that others certainly may have been ahead of us. In Africa, Cameroon, Ghana , South Africa? Ivory Coast, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and lots of others.
At the international level, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Russia etc; these countries have civil defense universities and institutions to train their personnel on disaster management and other things. What is obvious is that we are beginners, we just came into existence few years ago, we have to crawl before we walk.?
So, in view of the fact that we are new, we can’t be comparing ourselves and our expertise with countries that started 30 years before us. Certainly, over time, Nigeria will also be reckoned with internationally. After all, we are not where we used to be years back!
What are the specialised sections within the corps and what level of training have they received??
The corps as it is, is highly professionalised to meet the international standard, therefore, all units are professionalised. There are the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical unit, that is responsible for radioactive elements, pollution, and toxic waste associated with present day Nuclear energy.
The officials were trained in Czech Republic, USA, and Germany and? they have creditably represented Nigeria at the United Nations. The Anti-Bomb and Counter-Terrorism unit on the other hand, were trained in South Africa and Pakistan. Since their return to Nigeria, they have assisted in reducing greatly kidnapping, cultism and to some extent, foiled several terrorism attacks and helped in assisting victims of bomb blasts etc.
The Disaster department has been up and doing in disaster activities in the evacuation of victims in disaster areas. Our men participated in the three ill-fated plane crashes between October and December, 2005, collapsed buildings and bridges across the country.
Also during flood disasters, the unit helped in saving lives and property. In all of these, we worked in partnership with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). Our men are permanently with them in all their operations. There is also the Anti-Corruption Unit, trained by the EFCC and ICPC, to ensure that the corps maintain transparency and is free of corrupt tendencies.
There is Peace and Conflict unit, the Private Guards Security Unit that regulates private security organisations. There is the Dog Training Unit; the dogs and their handlers were trained in South Africa.They’ve been very loud in the various recoveries made by the corps recently.
Your men have made remarkable recoveries and arrests of oil bunkerers.? Why is bunkering persisting?
Robbery, bunkering, vandalism are all activities that thrive in both developed and underdeveloped societies. However, while it can’t be eradicated completely, we have at least helped in reducing it to the barest minimum. Before now, bunkering was severe to an extent where it affected petroleum supplies, and petrol became scarce.
Now, minus this issue of subsidy, how many times do we see vehicles queuing for fuel at petrozlling stations? On the second aspect, a lot of recoveries have been made and culprits sentenced on account of arrest by our men.
Being modest, I would have to say that not less than 30 culprits have been? prosecuted in the past two months from different states, which has proven that we? are not leaving any stone unturned in that direction.
NSCDC regulates private securities, most of the guards are exploited and are? paid as low as N6000 monthly salaries,? which makes it tempting for them to sometimes? compromise.? Why has NSCDC failed to set payment? standards?
Let’s be frank, minimum wages in the private sector is difficult to regulate when even some state governments claim they are not buoyant enough to pay the N18,000 minimum wage. Then you will agree with me that those who are like casuals in the private securities have more problems.
However, a situation where the security guards are poorly paid -as low as N10,000, is highly condemnable, a labourer deserves his wage. We are monitoring and looking out for those companies that are extremely exploitative by paying meaner salaries, if we find any, we will also penalise them.
President Jonathan’s policy centers around his transformation agenda, what is this agenda to NSCDC ??
The transformation agenda is reflective in the corporative society that we run in NSCDC? for the betterment of the personnel. Things are bought at subsidised rate and given to our personnel. There is the housing scheme which has made it possible for all personnel to own houses of their own.
There is car and motorcycle scheme, all for the purpose of coming to the aide of workers. Some of them that are accessible to loans have gotten substantial amounts from the corporative society as loans. So, these and many more are products of the president’s transformation agenda in NSCDC .
What collaboration does NSCDC have with other organisations?
We cannot operate in isolation. We are indeed in collaboration with NEMA, the Fire Service and other life saving agencies.?
When the Fire service commissioned their training school, we had an agreement with them that our men will be trained in their training school, while we will be training their personnel in our training schools.
To what level is the NSCDC involved in elections?
We are doing our best to ensure that voters and politicians conform with the rules and norms of? INEC’s guideline. Our role is not only during elections, but? before, during and after elections.
In Sokoto, Adamawa, and Kogi States, you will notice a sizeable number of our personnel in all thes,e places making sure peace and tranquility exist among spectators and actors.
We participated in Bayelsa as well, moving along with INEC, helping in the transfer of? equipment and materials (sensitive and non-sensitive) needed for the purposes of the elections. So we are fully involved because it is part of our assignment.