The National Council for Civil Society Organisations (NACCSO) on Thursday said ongoing reforms of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) was impacting positively in the national security architecture.
The coalition noted that Dr. Ahmed Audi, the Commandant General of the Corps, initiated the reform and was on course contrary to the view of some agitators.
The Director-General of NACCSO, Mr. Emmanuel Johnny, drummed this support at a news conference in Abuja.
Johnny claimed that investigation by the CSOs revealed that Audi has performed creditably within a short period of time in office.
He said that since the new Commandant-General assumed office about eight months ago, the group carefully took note of the progressive reforms he was implementing in the corps.
“These have clearly been repositioning the Corps for greater professionalism and better security service delivery to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“While observing and carefully documenting these new positive trends in the NSCDC, we have recently been rudely shocked by the unbelievable display of some activists claiming to be Civil Society groups against the progressive reforms.
“We, therefore, have chosen not to be silent or neutral in the face of this great accusatorial injustice to this fine and distinguished Senior Nigeria Law Officer who is meritoriously serving his fatherland at this point in our history when national security is our topmost national priority.
“We have chosen not to fold our hands to watch him being persecuted and oppressed through an agenda to weaken national security by their attempt to take a principal national security actor down for reasons best known to them only.’’
Johnny, who reeled out some of Audi’s achievements, said that he embarked on the Safe School Initiative training and commissioning of a formidable female squad to checkmate the menace of kidnapping of school children.
He added that Audi carried out staff welfare projects including the placement of personnel on their respective appropriate ranks and promotions as well as capacity building for personnel.
He added that the commandant general repositioned private security guards company department for effective security outlets to keep abreast with global best practice.
Johnny said that stakeholders meeting were conducted to devise appropriate strategies to tackle the new wave in criminal vandalism and synergised with other security agencies to advocate and enhance cooperation.
He said that the NSCDC’s anti-vandalism drive was curbing vandalisation and destruction of critical assets and infrastructure in the country as arrest and prosecution of several pipeline vandals, electrical installations vandals, communication equipment and railways sleepers happened.
He added that NSCDC was also helping to provide farmers with security on their farmlands and protecting agro-Allied investments in some parts of the country.
Johnny said that with these achievements in eight months, it was evident that Audi was positively changing the narrative of the Corps and therefore needed no distraction or condemnation.
“We are here today, in our numbers, as Civil Society Activists and Nigerian Citizen-Stakeholders to publicly declare our support for the good works of Dr Ahmed Audi as the incumbent Commandant-General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps.
“We are here today to say that enough is enough. Nigeria’s national security is off-limits for bad-politicking and character assassination,” he said. (NAN)
