Men and officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have been told to avoid confrontation with members of the society but to ensure adequate protection of the citizens and national assets.
The charge was made by the newly deployed permanent secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr Oluwatoyin Akinlade, while on a familiarisation tour to the corps national headquarters, yesterday in Abuja.
Akinlade who warned officers of the corps against intimidation of members of the public while performing their duties advised them to rather listen , give and receive feedback, work across differences, and deal with difficult people logically to ensure adequate security of the masses.
She said, “Please show love and care to the people in a way that when they see you they will not run away, they should see you and embrace you instead.
“Citizens should see you as part of them and as the ones protecting the nation and the future of their children.”
Akinlade urged personnel to develop a sense of loyalty and harmonious working relationship amongst themselves and the masses they protect.
She enjoined all officers and men to be good ambassadors of the ministry, the Corps and the nation at large.
She reiterated that the conduct of personnel within and outside the office determines how members of the society perceived the corps.
“As civil defenders, the responsibilities of defending the civil populace lies on your shoulders.
“You must perform well and discharge your duties without intimidating the citizens.
“The roles you play are very important in achieving security for the nation, as we cannot have any meaningful development without security,” she added.
She expressed satisfaction with the commandant general of the NSCDC, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi over the establishment of the female squad, adding that she was impressed by the gallant display of the squad and others during her visit.
She praised the CG for his vision to reposition the Corps to meet up with world best standards.
“This is the first facilities under the Ministry of Interior that I am visiting and you have made me proud.
“I am impressed with all the displays today especially the female quarter guards and female squad displays. I have seen skills and capacities people don’t know exist within the Corps.
“You are blessed with a focused, visionary and responsible leader, whose achievements will be written with the development of the Corps,” she said.
In his welcome address, the commandant – general of the corps, Dr Abubakar Ahmed Audi, promised that the corps will continue to do its best in ensuring that the country was properly secured alongside other security agencies.
He said that because security and national development worked hand-in-hand, there is need to ensure citizens and all national critical asset are protected.
He however, said that the corps had unfortunately lost some personnel but pledged to continuously provide palliative support to victims through the intervention of the federal government.
“Despite the losses, we are not deterred in doing our job and we will not relent but will continue to serve the country,” he said.
