The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Commandant General Abubakar Ahmed Audi has applauded the role of the agency’s Cooperative and Investment Society Limited which as an independent body set up to amongst other reasons better the welfare of its members through welfare packages like housing, car and farming loan schemes.
The CG stated this in a keynote address at a 3-Day National Summit of the Cooperative Executives
with the theme: “Recessed Economy: options for Cooperative for self-reliance and sustainability ” at the National Headquarters of the Corps where he declared the event opened.
He maintained that his administration has continued to foster robust staff welfare working closely with the NSCDC Cooperative and Investment Society Limited to boost the economic conditions of personnel of the NSCDC.
As Grand Patron of the NSCDC Cooperative, Audi admonished personnel to align with the purpose of the Cooperative stressing that with the population size of the Corps, much more can be achieved with the majority of staff as members.
“It is time for us to come up with strategies to get all personnel on board. The Corps is a large Paramilitary agency and with our size, we can decide the viability of our Cooperative, the CG added.
The NSCDC Boss also seized the opportunity to commend personnel of the Corps on their outstanding performance at the just concluded nationwide protest #endbadgovernace#, adding that they demonstrated a high level of professionalism as a testament to the positive changes in the Corps.
Speaking earlier in an address of welcome, the NSCDC’s Cooperative President; Assistant Commandant of Corps (ACC) Oladeji Jones Aina said the summit was necessitated by the current inflation and other economic issues in the country and the need for the sustainability of the Cooperative.
Aina extolled the Commandant General stating that through his support the Cooperative has gone a long way in its effort to establish a Micro Finance Bank.
He highlighted the need for a review of the IPPIS platform to prioritize the Cooperative deductions above other non-statutory deductions as the Cooperative society is the second most important welfare vehicle of the service.
There were also goodwill messages from the Director of Cooperatives, Federal Capital Territory Administration, Mr Salako Olusegun and Special Assistant on Cooperatives and Farmers’ Welfare to the Minister of State for Agriculture, Hon. Victor Oyodeke who also served as guest speakers at the Technical Session of the summit.
The Cooperative Society has a numerical strength of about 35, 000 members while participants to the summit were drawn from the Executive members of the 36 state commands and the FCT.