Honourable Shina Peller
It’s Written And Read By Isiaka Mustapha, Executive Producer, People’s Security Monitor
HONOURABLE SHINA PELLER’S CALL FOR THE SCRAPPING OF THE NSCDC, EXTREMELY UNNECESSARY, INSENSITIVE
Not a few Nigerians received with shock and still ponder
over the proposed scrapping and taking over of the Nigeria Security
and Civil Defence Corps by the Nigeria Police as canvassed by
Honourable Shina Peller a member of the House of Representatives.
Peller had proposed that the Nigeria Police Force should take over the
responsibilities of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
The lawmaker made the proposal to the House via the National Security
And Civil Defence Corps (Repeal and Transition) Bill 2022, which
passed first reading on Tuesday.
But People’s Security Monitor independent investigation has revealed
that lots of Nigerians, through their reactions on whatsup handles and comments on last Friday weekly People’s Security Monitor radio programme would not want to align with the reasons advanced
for the scrapping of the NSCDC as being proposed by Honourable Peller,
talk less of it being reabsorbed by the Nigeria Police at this
precarious moment of Nigeria’s insecurity crisis.
Unknown to Honourable Peller and his co travelers Nigerians are more
curious, aggrieved and find it absolutely absurd his proposal that the
NSCDC should be taken over by the Nigeria Police, in view of the
public perception of differences between the Nigeria Police and the
NSCDC.
The generality of Nigerians are of the view and conviction that the
Nigeria Police is one security organization that is really weighed
down by numerous challenges ranging from ill equipment to bad welfare
package and maladministration. So the question is; how logical does it
sound that an already depressed security agency should take over the
control of a sister agency like NSCDC that is already known for its vibrancy,
high productivity, acute discipline, good managerial skill and most
importantly ethical comportment by all standards.
Many Nigerians are of the opinion that this strange proposal might not
be unconnected with envy which revolves around the growing influence,
high productivity, tremendous goodwill, high respect and reasonable level of confidence being enjoyed from members of the public by NSCDC operatives.
On a daily basis their dedication and ethical compliance to duties
allegedly appears to be dwindling the respect and prestige of the
Nigeria Police in the eye of the right thinking Nigerians.
Truth be told, operatives of the NSCDC are not only highly
productivity, but also professionally inclined in the line of duties.
In all ramifications, the NSCDC has indeed excelled in the discharge
of its mandate to the delight of Nigerians both at home and abroad, so
much that the Nigerian Army could not help but requested for a synergy
for strategic partnership with it to tackle the rising wave of
insecurity across the nation, this ought to have been the approach of
Honourable Peller; not to start canvassing for take over of a para
military agency that is widely acclaimed to be immensely efficient by
another security agency that battles on a daily basis to get its
overwhelming problems fixed up.
Against claims advanced in Peller’s Bill that the government has been
wasting resources to the tune of about Hundred billion naira on yearly
basis on the NSCDC, one wonders whether it has not really occurred to the
lawmaker that last year alone, the NSCDC generated for the government
more than half a trillion naira, specifically, N529 billion was
generated as revenue for the government by NSCDC through its mandated
revenue generating platforms as entrenched in its establishing Act,
this was in addition to destruction of hundreds of illegal refineries across the country.
Excitedly enough for Nigerians, the Corps has recorded resounding
successes in its anti vandalism drive and protection of critical
national assets and infrastructure where several arrests and
prosecutions have been recorded, especially under its current
Commandant General, Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi.
For instance, in Katsina state Command alone, out of a total number of
1,161 cases handled, 256 criminal cases were prosecuted by the command
from January to December last year.
Similarly, the NSCDC in Niger State last year recovered N56.9 million
and treated 1,578 cases with 15 prosecuted and 8 convictions secured,
while 147 are still pending.
While the Corps Command in Imo State, under the year in review
recovered 33 foreign-made, semi-automatic guns and 15 gun cleaning
kits from a criminal hideout in Imo.
All the treated criminal cases are mainly related to banditry,
kidnapping, theft, drug abuse or trafficking, rape, vandalism and
other offences including criminal trespassing, smuggling of petroleum
products, assault, fraud and impersonation.
And of course this has been the trend in all the NSCDC Commands across
the states.
Instead of resorting to seeming spurious shopping spree and unhealthy
reabsorption proposal of sister agencies, Honorable Peller should
start counselling the Nigeria Police on how to be optimally efficient
and productive with ethical compliance to its responsibilities as
entrenched in the constitution. It’s now an open secret that
operatives of the Nigeria Police more than ever before need
more motivation and funding to boost their morale, not appropriating
to its self other sister agencies. Certainly, the Nigeria Police is
old enough, and expected to be strong enough with its name and
mandate, without looking for helper.