A Stitch in Time Saves Nine by Muhammadu Labo


One cannot over emphasise the importance of security in any setting you find humans, properties and resources of any kind,hence the major responsibility of Government is the provision of security for the protection of lives and properties.

With the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) established in 2003 to further act as a catalyst for the advancement of security apparatus in Nigeria, the agency’s contributions to the security system in Nigeria can be simply described as super useful to say the least, as they are tasked with achieving the security mandate of the Government to the citizens at all cost.

The determining factor of leading this security agencies in any society shall be dictated meritoriously, and the NSCDC is not an exception. This must include acquiring the technical know-how of the job and executing it satisfactorily for absolute security to the citizens.

Politics can be played in all angles of governance for the benefit of democracy but not with security, if security of a nation is compromised and toyed with,then no meaningful progress can be achieved. Peace and security are the bedrocks of social, economic and indeed political success of any advanced nation in the world.

In as much as it is said that there is some bit of politics in all that we do, either in the family, workplace and life in general, security has also been an exception as to where politics should be played.

The NSCDC has had leaders from different backgrounds performing at different levels & capacities to the service of the fatherland. The history of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) can never be complete without the mention of Abdullahi Muhammadu Gana, the present Commandant General of NSCD, who assumed office on 17th July 2015 as appointed by President Mahamadu Buhari (GCFR).

One cannot deny the apparent fact that the leadership style of Abdullahi Muhammadu Gana is one that has clearly shown that sincerity of purpose and a strong will to perform can be the difference having your head above water level and having it below water level, his reforms to the system have been unarguable. Sadly nepotism and high level impunity have been an ugly part of the Nigerian system as a whole has also found its way into the recruitment system of the NSCDC in the time past. With a staff database that has over 4,500 persons from one section of the country, albeit from Ogun State alone, while 1,500 to the entire North, one can only simply perceive that all is not in the right perspective as per the recruitment system in the NSCDC, it is indeed safe to describe it as NATIONAL INJUSTICE.

Thus glaringly in conflict with the provisions of CHAPTER 2 Fundamental Objectives & Directive Principles Of State Policy-viz;

(a)SECTIONS 13,

(b)14(3) &

(c)17(3) (a)

of the 1999 CFRN and as well negates the Federal Character Principle.

With an attempt to ensure justice and equity in the recruitment scheme of the NSCDC by Abdullahi Muhammadu Gana,some ethnic jingoist at the higher leadership level with specific mention to the office of the Hon. Minister of Interior did not find the patriotic acts of Abdullahi Muhammadu Gana comfortable. We might recall that the reappointment of Gana as the Commandant General of NSCDC was not without strong resistance from the Hon. Minister of Interior, could this be an “Unfortunate Ethic Agenda”? We all still very vividly remember the frantic efforts made by the Hon. Minister of Interior at the time to ensure that a Western loyalist was installed as CG of NSCDC to enable them stare affairs of the Corps come 2023. In the words of Miles Davis ‘’Time is not the main thing, Time is the only thing”. Clearly only time will bring to the fore the lurking political intentions of the major players in these shenanigans.

Nigeria as a nation cannot afford to use sensitive key security positions as a channel to show political strength, performance and performance alone shall be the basic criteria for appraisal of critical office holders.

In a bid to have a purposeful and fair recruitment process in the NSCDC we must also all condemn the centralization of aptitude test for applicants. Travelling to another state for aptitude test is another form of disfranchising many Nigerians as very many applicants cannot afford transport fares to travel let alone accommodate and cater for themselves . One can relate it with “Asking driving applicants to be computer literate before being entitled to a driver’s licence. As we all know by the Nigerian, driving license is the only qualification to drive a car in Nigeria”.

Putting into consideration the KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS of Abdullahi Muhammadu Gana, it is therefore safe to say that the man is an achiever & a performer,who can only find room for improvement if given the opportunity. His positive reforms in NSCDC sure deserves a chance to consolidate the giant strides he has initiated. A stitch in time saves nine!

Written by
MUHAMMADU M. LABO
(National Coordinator, Good Governance Coalition)

I know say na one no rtherner go write this...


yes he may have done more n attain n alot, but he has past the retirement age n the constitutional mandatory 35years period of service. the best for him is to go n past the baton to another even if its another of your people but atleast let's follow n obey laid down rules in our country.


except you are telling me there is no one capable of doing well or better than him.

OP may i remind you that Buhari is the most Nepotic president Nigeria has ever produced. A service that has over 4,500 of its work force from Ogun alone, is it not strange that the Comptroller General is from the North? One would have expected the CG to come from Ogun state. NCDC started as volunteers and a lot of people from the south joined then. When the government finally approved its existence, they only ratified the appointment of their staff. As at when they started recruitment, the northerners became minority in the force. This is exactly what is hapening in Road Safety where majority of its workforce are from the South.

valentineuwakwe:
I know say na one no rtherner go write this...


yes he may have done more n attain n alot, but he has past the retirement age n the constitutional mandatory 35years period of service. the best for him is to go n past the baton to another even if its another of your people but atleast let's follow n obey laid down rules in our country.


except you are telling me there is no one capable of doing well or better than him.

He has not reached retirement age, he is 58 years old and has served for 18 years out of the 35 years

YungDon:



He has not reached retirement age, he is 58 years old and has served for 18 years out of the 35 years

brother, go and research very well and leave sentiments out of these...if he has not reach like you claim, why was his tenure extended by another 6 months, it should have been given him a second term via reappointment but that was not it....


He is busy now lobbying to be retained....well one thing I know is that another of your brother up north will be appointed instead of the most senior rank person in the Corp. .

we all all one in this country oo!