By Stephen Adoga
The Federal government has decorated new Deputy Controllers-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, the Nigeria Immigration Service, and a Deputy Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
This was done to strengthen the personnel of the Services under the Ministry of Interior and position them for proficient performance in tackling the insecurity confronting the nation.
Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Minister of Interior, while decorating the officers in Abuja, the public expects them to bring solution to the Nigeria’s security challenges, especially at such a time of worsening insecurity.
“The Ministry of Interior is always on the mouth of commentators and analysts when the security situation in the country is being mentioned. This is to let you know the great expectations people have of you,” he said.
According to him: “We have been in the throes of bandits, insurgents and other baddies, draining resources and psychic energy. Our agencies must rise to the plate. NSCDC in particular should maximise their grassroots penetration for intelligence gathering. The criminals live in our homes, offices, farms, bushes and forests. They roam our streets and engage in day-to-day activities with us.”
Speaking on the challenges of managing the nation’s borders in relation to the Covid19 pandemic, the minister commended the NIS for the job it is doing, stating that a large chunk of the responsibility of containing Covid19 and national security challenges falls on the NIS. He said that preventing those likely to cause the nation harm from gaining access to the country will remain a challenge which, according to him, is the reason the new Comptrollers-Generals have been called to duty.
“Criminals will keep getting more sophisticated in order to be ahead of you; but in order to beat them, you have to be ahead of their game at all times. Playing catch up with criminals can be deadly and very costly, he averred. “Keeping out known and unknown criminals out of our borders is therefore an unfinished business. You cannot rest on your oars” Aregbesola reiterated.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Shuaib Belgore, noted that the current security situation has necessitated increased vigilance by security operatives, as well as the need for improved quality of security operations in Nigeria.
He added that the Federal Government has put measures in place to ensuring that Nigeria overcome the challenges of rising insecurity demonstrated by kidnapping, banditry, insurgency, arson, herder-farmer conflicts and so on.
Speaking on behalf of the newly decorated officers, DCG Haliru Abdul Mumini Ishaka of the Nigeria Immigration Service, promised their commitment to achieving the mandate of the Ministry.
The decorated officers were:
A. Nigeria Correctional Service:
i DCG Tukur Ahmed Muhammed
ii DCG Ladipo Tunde Olatunbosun
iii Nwakuche Sylvester Ndidi
B. Nigeria Immigration Service:
i DCG Haliru Abdul Mumini Ishaka
ii DCG Opara Anthonia Ifeoma
iii. DCG Adepoju Carol Wura-Ola
iv. DCG Yarima Aminu Bako
C. Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps :
I. Iyogho Jonathan Iyere