Pix: Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi, Commandant General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), saddled with the responsibility of protection of critical national assets and infrastructure (CNAI), has described children as the greatest assets of Nigeria, and directed State Commandants to support the Safe Schools Project to further assist to cascade the capacity building training programmes for the benefit of more stakeholders in their domain. 

Commandant General of the NSCDC, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi gave the directive in a keynote delivered at a one-day capacity building programme organised by the National Safe School Response Coordination Centre (NSSRCC) for State Coordinators and Desk Officers drawn from the North Central geopolitical zone, held at the National headquarters of the Corps.

He reteriated his administration’s commitment to the cause of safer schools for students, teachers and host communities through training and retraining which is the mainstay of any organisation.  

Represented by the Deputy Commandant General Technical Services, DCG Zakari Ibrahim Ningi fdc, the Corps’ helmsman said the training with the theme: “ensuring safer schools for all” is geared towards improving the capacity of NSSRCC personnel at all levels in line with  achieving the Safe Schools Declaration target of government. 

He maintained that after the vulnerability study of schools conducted by the Corps in 2021, the Corps has since been committed to ensuring safer learning environments for children, teachers and host communities.  

While declaring the training opened, the NSCDC boss urged participants to network and draw knowledge from experts for better service delivery, and applauded the contributions of other stakeholders like the Ministries Interior, finance and education and Civil Society Organisations like Save the Children International for their unwavering commitment towards achieving the mission of the centre.

Earlier in an address of welcome, the Commander NSSRCC ACC Rabiu Ibn Muhammed, said in the phase of new trends in insecurity like cyber threats, drug abuse, cultism amongst others, the centre sees opportunities for collaboration, innovation and growth and hence the need to equip its personnel on latest innovations and technologies in the security field. 

Further, he explained that experts have been carefully selected in various areas to impact new insights on the participants to better confront the various challenges facing the safety of schools all over the federation.  

He highlighted that other phases of the training will take place in the other geopolitical zones before the first half of the year. 

Also, speaking in a good will message, the National Coordinator Financing Safe Schools, Hajiya Halima Iliya Ibrahim extolled the efforts of the Commandant General and other stakeholders in spite of challenges of funding and budgetary allocation for their unique role and unwavering commitment towards the mission of the Centre established in 2023.

She encouraged the participants to actively participate and share knowledge, domesticate and also cascade the knowledge to the grassroots.  

In the same vein, the lead Consultant to NSSRCC, Prof Tyoor Terhemba, Deputy Director Advocacy and Focal Person Save the Children International, Dr Musa Bada and immediate past Commander of the Centre ACG Hammed Abodunrin, PhD, fdc delivered goodwill message. 

The 300 participants for the one-day training were drawn from the states in the North-Central Geopolitical Zone comprising Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Niger, Plateau States and Federal Capital Territory.