NSCDC 2017/18 Recruitment has been announced. However, The primary function of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) is to protect lives and properties of Nigerian people in close cooperation with police forces.
However, it is officially reported that NSCDC recruitment 2017 will be quite massive. This is a perfect news for those Nigerians who need well-paid jobs. How to apply for Civil defence recruitment 2017/2018? Read the article to get more information.
It is one of the most significant demands by the President Muhammadu Buhari. It led to the fact that in December 2016, the Commandant-General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Abdullahi Muhammadu, reported that the corps would recruit 10,000 officers in 2017. They will work efficiently to meet up new security demands of Nigeria declared by the President. READ ALSO: JAMB cut off mark for 2017/2018 – What is it? As thousands of Nigerians wish to get the job in NSCDC, there appeared hundreds of news with false information about Civil defence recruitment 2017/2018. Naij.com informs you that presently NSCDC is neither recruiting nor replacing officers. Civil defence recruitment 2017/2018 has not started yet.
Attention ! All the official information about Civil defence recruitment 2017/2018 is only available at civil defense recruitment portal. It is the only place where you can your application form.
Where I Want Nigerian Security And Civil Defence Corps To Be
FROM THE CG DESK
Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu is the Commandant-General of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). He spoke about LEADERSHIP due to the activities of the corps, the challenges and what is best for the corps.
What has been your experience piloting the affairs?
I think I have to thank God for making it possible for me to be here because when I came into the corps, I never dreamt of finding myself on this seat. I joined the corps, in the late 80s when I was working in the bank. I was just walking along king’s way Road in Ikoyi, Lagos, and I saw one man wearing the uniform of Civil Defence and I said to myself, wow, I am in love with this uniform. Eventually, I found myself working in the corps where I registered as volunteer. I have interest in the job and that is why I joined it. Because of the interest, I find the job very easy.
Moreover, being an insider who was with the corps when it transformed from that status of volunteer to a full-fledged paramilitary outfit, I know so much about it that it has become very easy for me to lead the corps.
Last year while decorating some newly promoted officers, you said the corps has done very well. What are the indices of your success?
The indices are simple. We have to look at the mandate of the corps, because it is based on the mandate that one can judge if we have performed or not. When I took over in July, 2015, within a very short time, we moved from the protection of critical infrastructure which was limited to oil pipelines into the mining sites because the government is trying to diversify because of over dependence on oil. We sat with the minister of Solid Minerals and we agreed that we need to provide security for the mining sites. We were able to train our men within a very short time; we met with the minister of Agriculture. Also since the government wants to establish cattle ranches all over the country, at least about 30 of such to check this herdsmen farmers clash, we are to provide security for these ranches and we agreed that we will provide at least five thousand of our men for the agriculture sector, and five thousand in the mining sector. Then the MD of railway also met us and said the federal government classified railway as a critical infrastructure so we need to provide security for the railways. And told him that I am aware of the existence of railway police but he insisted that he need my men so I had to send my men to go and study the railway installations in 22 states of the country and we realized that we need nothing less than four thousand men to provide security. For the oil sector, when the new GMD of NNPC took over the, the first security outfit he visited was here. He said since we are in charge of critical facilities like pipelines, he will come and partner with us. Again, in our mandate of protecting critical infrastructure, within a very short time, we destroyed over 450 illegal refineries. As at Wednesday last week, (January 11), our men on surveillance in the South-east have identified about 17 illegal refineries that we want to go and destroy now. Some of the vandals that we arrested have been referred to courts and have been convicted.
Would you rate your performance on pipeline surveillance as successful because in spite of your presence, NNPC (PPMC) said it recorded a huge loss of over $10billion to pipeline vandals?
You need to know that critical infrastructure is not limited to oil pipeline alone. The oil pipelines from the
South east to the North span about 5000 kilometres. The pipelines were laid when consideration was not even given to the security. No one thought of vandalism in the 60s, 70s when the pipes were laid. Even the right of way was not taken into consideration. These pipelines pass through thick forests with no right of way.
What measures is the corps under your leadership adopting, in the area of training and retraining of personnel?
If you have been listening to my remarks over time, I emphasize on welfare of staffs and you will agree with me that training falls under such. We need to train and retrain our personnel. And as a full-fledged paramilitary outfit, you cannot even get promoted from one level to another without undergoing training. In-house, we have training institutions: one in Katsina, another in Abeoukuta. But then of course, there are challenges in the area of funds. When I took over, I realized that the overhead has been cut down by almost 50 per cent, yet I have been training my staff. Some of the staffs were even called up for in-house training recently. So what we adopt now is to train the trainers.
How were you able to address the worries your corps raised over unpaid allowances last year?
Well, for allowances, I know that there is shift allowances that was stopped before I took over and when I came in, I applied to the government and it was paid in December. As for promotion arrears, it
has not been released by the government. This is not peculiar to us as other agencies like the Immigration, Prisons and so are affected. But then the allowance that was released has been paid to my staff in late December.
The corps control private security companies and there has been a proliferation of these companies with a consequence on internal security if they are not properly monitored. How is corps meeting up with the challenge?
There is awareness and people now know the value of private security in Nigeria, hence professionals are now going into the field. You see, in the U.S, the standard is such that the ratio of police to citizens is one police to 400 people, and in Nigeria, as at our last census, we were about 170 million and only God knows how many we are now, and policemen we have are just about two hundred thousand. So instead of 1:400, we are talking of about 1:1000. So there arose the need for us to have these private guards that will complement the efforts of police in policing the nation. It was initially under the Business and Ethics Department of the ministry of Interior. When we took over, we found out that there are so many quacks in the industry so we had to sanitize the industry. What we did was to look at the loopholes and we realized that there were so many foreigners who were involved in the private security business in Nigeria and we felt that the internal security of our nation should be our business and not that of the foreigners. We inserted a clause that no foreigner should occupy any strategic position in the private security guard companies. Secondly, we found out that people that have no experience in the field, just come to register security companies, so we now insisted that before you register any security outfit, one must have either people with military or paramilitary background not below the rank of captain or major or its equivalents in other services involved in it. We have closed down companies that fell short of these provisions. Now if you see any security outfit, I can vouch for them that they can stand the test of time. And normally before they are registered, we send their list to the SSS and until they are certified by the SSS, we don’t issue license to them.
Does the corps have enough manpower to address the aspects of the internal security needs of the nation, assigned to you?
Well, I said it the last time, that even if I had one hundred thousand, it would not be enough for me, and I was misquoted. Let me tell you, there are places in the North-east now that if you go today you won’t see any police. It is only military and civil defence. I challenge you to go to Dikwa and Gaborun-Ngala, it is only civil defence and the military you will see there. I need more manpower.
How much synergy and cooperation does the corps enjoy from other national security agencies?
I want to say it very loud and clear that I commend the chief of naval staff for giving us the best of cooperations. On behalf of my staff, I want to thank him because he has done a lot to make our job easy for us. I also want to use this opportunity to thank the chief of army staff, Lt General Buratai. When the military was winning the war against Boko Haram in the north east. He said now we have won the war, civil defence go and take over the liberated areas, and we are there now. They have won the war and we are trying to win the peace. The Air force also assisted us when we were battling the vandals in Arepo in Lagos. With the police, the former IGP was nice to us, even the new IGP when he came and was going to inspect the IPDs in the North-east, he extended a hand of friendship to us. So far, so good.
The corps has the power to prosecute, so one would need to know, how many have been prosecuted, let’s say in the past one year?
The corps has the power to prosecute vandals and we have done a lot in that direction. I cannot give you the figure off hand but I know that the people we have prosecuted over three thousand cases, and we have had convictions.
How are you addressing office accommodation problem for your officers and men in the state commands?
Well, Civil Defence is the babe of all security agencies in Nigeria. Remember we came on board in 2003. When we came, we had to write officially to states. Some states were kind and good enough to us that they give gave us not only official accommodation, but residential, but some have not. I want to seize this opportunity to thank some states governors like those of Kano, Imo, Sokoto, Niger, Plateau. They were too kind to us. Some of them even built residential quarters for us, and gave our commandants, residential accommodations. Katsina gave us a school, a whole training institution.
The corps did not start-out by bearing arms, but your operatives now bear arms following pressures from the corps’ high command on the government. What has changed in the performance of the corps since it began to bear arms?
Let me tell you where we are coming from then you will appreciate where we are and you will also know where we are going to. Civil Defence is an international organization with its headquarters in Geneva. Nigeria is its 66th member nation. Nigeria civil defence was established in the year 1967. It was then known as Lagos Civil Defence. It was to cater for the injured victims in the war front. It also served as a reservoir for the military and had the mandate of educating the populace in case of any emergency. So after civil war, the question arose as to what to do with the corps. It was now brought under the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs, now Interior Ministry. From there it started circulating to other parts of the country. After 1990, it was all over the country. With the coming of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, with his international exposure, a full paramilitary office emerged in 2003. Whenever we head to dangerous areas, we will write to police or military to give us coverage. We really need the arms and with these arms we have done our best and we will do more. We are well trained, and that is why you hardly hear of accidental discharge.
The corps licence and register private security organisations, would it be right to say that you are a revenue generating agency of government?
Yes! Even before the Treasury Single Account, the account we had was for the federal government. Civil Defence has never taken a kobo out of it. We just give you an account number to go and pay into the treasury of government.
Where would you like the corps to be at the end of your tenure?
We usually have international meetings once in a year. The last time, it was in Karzastan, Russia. I will love to see a corps that will advance to what I saw in Russia. They have a whole ministry, dedicated to civil defence, they have a university of civil defence. All the civil duties there are being done by civil defence. In Saudi Arabia, where you go is CD, CD. All civil duties are supposed to be done by civil defence. I was impressed with what I saw. I would love to see Nigerians being enlightened on the role of the corps. Civil defence is the only grassroots organisation in Nigeria. Go anywhere in the villages, there is civil defence. We don’t have barracks, but our greatest headache is that Nigerians should be educated on the role the civil defence.
You did say the corps faces some challenges and you talked about office accommodation and now barrack. Is absence of barracks a challenge to the corps?
It is part of my welfare package, so it’s a challenge. Indeed, office accommodation is another challenge, inadequate equipment is also a challenge. We also need more arms. But then we want to thank some state governors who have done excellently well for us. Some of them have done good but some are below standards in assisting the corps. I often tell people that security is not one man’s business. It is not just about how long I have been there, it is not just about how many cars I have parading the road; it is not just about how many arms I have, but it is more about intelligence gathering. But then of course, that doesn’t mean that we don’t need more vehicles, arms and other equipment. We need more of those. We need office accommodation nationwide. Some states have offered us both office and residential accommodation, we are thankful to them. So we have challenges but we understand that the economy has not been good worldwide. It is not perculiar to Nigeria. So we are reasoning.
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