NSCDC is a paramilitary agency of Nigeria. The corps is statutorily
empowered by lay Act No.2 of 2003 and amended by Act 6 of 4th June
2007. On 28th June 2003, an Act to give statutory backing to the corps
passed by the National Assembly was signed into law by Chief Olusegun
Obasanjo, the former President and Commandant in Chief of the Armed
Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Commanadant General of NSCDC Dr. Ade Abolurin had spent 10 years
and above as the CG of the corps. He is the oldest and longest Service
Chief in any military or paramilitary agency in
the world. He has been the CG since the enactment of the agency.
Under his watch, many corrupt activities like recruitment
racketeering, land scam, etc most especially he was indicted in
2008/2009 recruitment exercise where he was directly involved in cash for job.
In recent time, many unemployed youths had been duped by people
suspected to be top management officers of NSCDC (DCGs,CC admin,
others). The worst senerio is that after they might have recruited
their victims, they will dismiss them unofficially thereby claiming
all the attributed salaries and entitlement of the victims. Example of
this is the 90 officers wrongfully dismissed from the corps in the
year 2008. Their uniforms and employment
letters were withdrew by the
corps, salaries were stopped since 2008 but most unfortunate their
pension contribution were still running in their pension accounts
which means that someone or a group of people are claiming their
salaries since 2008 up to date.
The act of withdrawal of employment letter and uniform from trained
personnel without
proper investigation and prosecution if necessary is a big scam in the
corps in as much is not happening in other agencies.
Also, the issue of land scam in FCT which involved some top management
officers in corps where houses and undeveloped landed properties worth
billions of Naira were seized by ICPC in 2013.
How could the CG and his managerial team claim ignorant when all the
transactions happened in the FCT command headquarters and National
headquarters of NSCDC.
A chief Superintendent of NSCDC who spoke on condition of anonymity
pointed out that there are many cases of massive corruption in NSCDC
being committed by some top management officers of the corps.
It could be recalled that the CG who is a very close allies of former
President was appointed by same in the year 2003 and the position has
not been tampered with by President Goodluck Jonathan due to some
reasons best known to him with high level of corruption perpetrating
in the corps.
The Speaker of House of Representative Aminu Waziri Tambuwal in few
weeks ago said Mr. President is shielding
corruption.
The time has finally come for Dr. Ade Abolurin, his Deputies and other
corrupt officials in the corps to be shown out of the service before
it degenerate to internal crisis.
How could someone be in a position of CG or DCG for 11years in which
it had been hindering the promotion of many officers to top positions
thereby stagnated for years without promotion.
It should be noted that the CG and his DCGs lack managerial and
paramilitary skills which has been affecting the corps since 2003.
In the last note, the President and National Assembly should with
immediate effect come to the rescue of the corps by restructuring the
management of the agency for effective delivery of its mandate.
