The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr Olusola Odumosu has called for more inter-agency collaboration in tackling the challenges of insecurity within the FCT and its environs.
He has also appealed to the Acting Guards Brigade Commander, Col. Adebisi Olusola Onasanya, for support in the training of NSCDC personnel in FCT.
Odumosu spoke on Wednesday when he paid a courtesy visit to Onasanya, ”the Chief Scorpion” at the headquarters Guards Brigade, Abuja.
The Commandant, in appreciating the existing strong synergy between the Civil Defence and the Nigeria Army, noted that while there is an increasing friendship and good bonding between senior officers in the military and other paramilitary agencies, same should be encouraged among the junior cadres in a progressive fashion till a full synergy is attained.
Odumosu in a statement by the Public Relations Officer of NSCDC, FCT Command, Comfort Okomanyi, condemned the rivalry occasionally experienced among security agencies and encouraged more collaboration for effective security coverage of the country.
“If we at our levels can enjoy so much cooperation and synergy, there’s a need to pass the same information to the lower rungs of the ladder too.
“My visit to you is more or less to fulfill customs and traditions. As far as I am concerned, we already have a good working relationship and I am enjoying maximum cooperation and synergy from you already.
“However, the visit is also an opportunity for me and my men to get acquainted with your men and familiarize with one another as we shall be meeting on the field in the course of our job”, Odumosu added.
Odumosu, while thanking the Commander, Guards Brigade for receiving him, his officers and men in the audience, commended the Nigerian Army for its maturity and camaraderie which has resulted in a long-standing good relationship with the NSCDC.
He said the Civil Defence Corps owed its evolution to the Military, especially the Nigerian Army.
He pointed out that Civil Defence came into existence during the Nigerian civil war of the 70s, where there was a need to educate and also train the civilians on self-defence and protective measures in the case of eventualities of the war.
He added that by the time the Corps became a full-fledged paramilitary organization, the core of the training of the NSCDC was basically from the Army.
“The two agencies have come a long way and should continue to collaborate more effectively and progressively for the safety of lives and property of Nigerians and other residents in the country.
“We are a product of the military, directly or indirectly”, Odumosu said.
The Commandant solicited more collaboration in the areas of operations and training for his men from the Brigade of Guards Commander.
He reiterated that with more training and retraining programmes in place, all security agencies in the sub-sector will be able to operate and cooperate more efficiently without anyone lagging behind in the latest operational tactics.
Odumosu said that his mission to make the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) free of vandals of critical infrastructures such as manhole covers, street lights, and traffic lights amongst other criminalities could not be done in isolation from other security agencies, hence, the necessity for the courtesy visit.
In his response, the Brigade of Guards Commander, Col. Adebisi Olusola Onasanya, appreciated the courtesy visit and stated that the visit was a mark of continuous synergy and inter-agency collaborations already existing among all the security agencies in the FCT.
He noted that there are already joint operations between the Civil Defence, other paramilitary agencies and the Nigerian Army which has been responsible for the downward trends of crimes and security threats in the FCT.
In response to the NSCDC’s request for training, the Brigade Commander promised to consult with the Defence Headquarters immediately and find out how the training of the NSCDC personnel would be undertaken.
“If I need to consult, I will consult, If I need to take permission or approval from the top, I will, but the training will be effected”, Onasanya promised.
He assured the FCT Commandant that from time to time, enlightenment would be intensified among the junior cadres of the Nigerian Army to foster a healthier relationship with the NSCDC and other security agencies so as to enhance a unified front for the security of the nation.
While wishing Commandant Odumosu and his team a very successful tenure at the FCT, he said that the visit was highly necessary for the officers of both agencies to meet for a better understanding of each other, stating that the era of one agency doing it all alone is over.
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