The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has instructed the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Dr Ahmed Audi to return Nigeria back to the old days when people can travel freely on the roads without fear of being waylaid, kidnapped or assassinated.
The Minister gave the order on Tuesday during a working visit to the National headquarter of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Abuja.
Aregbesola, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Shuaib Belgore, lamented that the state of insecurity in the country, which has been a challenge to us as a nation, needs the Commandant General to take up the responsibility of returning “Nigeria back to the old days when people can travel freely on our roads without fear of being waylaid, kidnapped or assassinated.”
The Minister while expressing confidence in the capacity of the newly appointed Commandant General of NSCDC, Dr Ahmed Audi to reposition the Corps to become a more profound player in the security architecture of the country, as well as in securing Nigerians and their property. noted that Audi’s emergence as the CG was after a keen and extensive contest and purely “on merit and not by accident or favoritism.”
He told the NSCDC boss that it is not beyond the Corps to restore the country to a safe haven that it always has been, “there is a reason for your appointment by Mr President and Commander in Chief of the Armed forces and it is required that you return our country to safety and bring it to peaceful times.”
He noted that the appointment of the new CG was was based on the observance that he has the capacity to deliver on improving the security landscape of Nigeria, which a lot of work and investments has gone into.
He said: “Nigeria has so much attractiveness in terms of the terrain, the geography, the people, the agricultural layout, the market and the infrastructure, hence there is need to protect, defend and sustain our nation by maintaining internal peace and security.”
He lamented that before the emergence of the new Commandant General, NSCDC has had challenges rising to the occasion of meeting the country’s need and fulfilling the mandates of the Corps that keeps expanding every day, noting that to the challenges everybody in the Corps has to be on the same page with the CG.
He said: “I want to charge all officers and men to give unalloyed support to the CG who has a fantastic vision which he enumerated on the day he was sworn in, he has grand plans which should be adopted by everybody and all should make sure that this plans are achieved.”
The Minister while enumerating the numerous tasks before the CG, charged the Corps helmsman to make sure that he deliver on his mandates and achieve the objective all Nigerians expect and desire.
He however assured the CG of the support of his Ministry and that of Mr. President to provide him the needed assistance to succeed in carrying out appropriate policies and programmes that would bring the Corps up to speed with it’s counterparts across the globe.
He said: “We are very comfortable with the programme and pathway the CG has brought forward towards achieving this goals which includes administrative reforms, tactical and training programmes as well as disciplinary enforcement and adjustment, there is really no alternative administratively, operationally and discipline wise, there is a lot of work to be done.”
He called on all personnel of the Corps to give utmost support to the Commandant General and also re-assured Nigerians that their capacity and ability is not in doubt and he is looking forward to working with the CG to ensure that Nigerians are safe and secure.
He added that that as somebody who has grown in the service with sufficient education and excellent vision, he has no doubt in Dr. Audi’s capacity, the support he is going to get from the officers and men, as well as from relevant stakeholders.
The Commandant General, in his response, thanked the Minister and the Permanent Secretary for their support since his assumption of office and assured them that he will work assiduously to provide the needed security for Critical National Asset and Infrastructure, the farming communities as well as our school children all over the country. He reiterated that the Corps would be reinvigorated and nurtured into a formidable force under his leadership to continue to provide services that will justify the confidence reposed in her by all Nigerians and to even surpass the benchmark set for him by Mr President and the Minister of Interior, stressing that he is poised and determined to serve Nigeria with passion and without looking back.