Abolurin's Legacy

Ade Abolurin, commandant general of the Nigera Security and Civil Defence Corps gives account of his stewardship and makes projections for the future

By Onyekachi Eze

Ade Abolurin, Commandant General, CG, of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, cherishes so much the transformation of the corps in the last few years. And he will not miss any opportunity to flaunt what he believes are his modest achievements in the para-military outfit. This is exactly what he did when Senator Olalekan Mustapha, chairman senate committee on Interior led other members of the committee on oversight functions at the corps headquarters, Abuja. “Some notable achievements of the corps are the arrest of 1300 vandals and their tools,” Abolurin told his guests.

NSCDC is a paramilitary outfit established by Act No 2 of 2003 as amended by Act No 6 of 2007 with the responsibilities of assisting in the maintenance of law and order in the society as well as rescuing of civil populace during periods of emergency. It also recommends to the minister of Interior for the registration of companies wishing to operate as security guards as well as monitor and supervise their activities. The CG said the corps has brought sanity into the operation of private guards in the country. “It has ensured close monitoring of the activities of private guards companies while sensitising them towards making them to be more proactive in matters relating to security. A stakeholders' forum of PGC operators, the third in the series, was held in April 2006, where the corps rubbed minds with operators in the industry on the way forward. The operators now see the corps as partners in the security of lives and property,” he added.

The corps inspected about 967 companies seeking registration out of which 206 have so far been registered. About N228.3 million was realized from the process. Out of the 206 companies which got the corps nod to operate, only 62 were able to secure a license.

However, some unregistered companies which operate without approval incur the wrath of the corps. About 230 of these illegal companies have been sealed while 10 out of the licensed guard companies have been upgraded from category B to A for optimum performance.

Another area the corps has scored a point is in staff training. About 14,070 members of the corps have been trained locally while some 502 others were trained abroad in countries like Pakistan, Burkina-Faso, Uganda, Egypt, United States of America, United Kingdom, Ghana, Switerzland, South Africa, China, Israel, UAE, Mali, Republic of Benin, Holland, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, etc.

It is in the area of surveillance and intelligence gathering that the corps has recorded huge success. To this end, Abolurin said the NSCDC has been able to make “adequate security report to relevant agencies of government to enable them take necessary steps to avert/prevent unpleasant situations such as civil unrest, crimes and other criminal tendencies and to improve where there are lapses. Some of these reports have assisted government in enhancing security in the country.”

In spite of these achievements, the corps has some constraints. Among these, according to Abolurin, are lack of basic facilities such as training schools, communication equipments, operational vehicles such as cranes, trucks, fire fighting equipment, disaster and rehabilitation equipment, boats and helicopters especially in difficult terrains.
Senator Mustapha and his colleagues appear satisfied with the achievements of the corps as they said the corps has justified its existence. They commended Abolurin for his prudent management of resources and assured that the senate would work for the approval of the use of arms for members of the corps.