The Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC),Ahmed Abubakar Audi, was recently in the news when he publicly apologized to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) over a petition filed by one of his subordinates ACC Attah John Onoja, Commander of the Mining Marshal, against the Inspector General of the Nigerian Police Force, Kayode Egbetokun.
According to media reports, the petition submitted to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, accused the Nigerian police of alleged attack and shooting of mining marshals, obstruction of efforts to prosecute illegal miners in Nasarawa state through a Federal High Court order which NSCDC claimed was criminally acquired.
The NSCDC management, in a statement released by its National Public Relations Officer, Babawale Afolabi, however later clarified that the petition was filed by Onoja without authorization and does not reflect the official stance of the Corps. The Commandant General promptly distanced himself from the petition and disowned ACC Onoja the Commander of the Mining Marshal.
In the words of Audi Abubakar: “I have spoken to the IGP on the matter and sincerely apologized for the embarrassment that the petition might have caused,”
This public apology by the Commandant General of the NSCDC is a public admission of the rot in the NSCDC and the administrative incompetence of Audi to manage a complex paramilitary establishment like NSCDC.
To begin with, that a subordinate officer under your watch could have generated a petition against the person of the Inspector General of Police and the entire force without the knowledge of the head raises questions about the line of reporting within the hierarchy of the Corps. In every government establishment, the standard practice is that every correspondence emanates from the office of the Chief Executive and similarly every incoming correspondence is addressed to the office of the CEO, who then treat and minutes to the appropriate departmental heads as the case may be.
That an ACC who in the chain of command with about four very senior ranking officers ahead of him can unilaterally generate a petition against an agency and its head then forward same to an arm of government like the National Assembly do not only speaks of gross insubordination but also an indictment of the entire administrative structure of the Corps.
Secondly, while embarking on the shameful mission of public apology to the Inspector General of police as if NSCDC were to be a department of the Police Force, it was without an initial firm disciplinary measures against the erring officer. Audi, was in a hurry to betray throw the erring officer and the entire Corp under the bus to vindicate himself, this indicates inherent weakness and inability of the CG to take disciplinary measure against his officers and men, this is precipitously dangerous.
In a military or paramilitary establishment, a clear hierarchical structure ensures discipline and orders are passed down efficiently, responsibly and followed through.
This helps maintain order and ensures tasks are completed effectively and helps promote a culture of accountability and professionalism, reinforcing the importance of adherence to established protocols, procedures and discipline. Evidently, this is lacking in the NSCDC.
The extant case with the NSCDC indicates operational ineffectiveness, indiscipline, lack of team cohesion a break down in the chain of command which is clearly reflected in the activities of rogue commanders and teams within the NSCDC
According to sources within the Interior Ministry, there is palpable disquiet within the ranks and file of the Corps as a result of the breakdown in the chain of command and blatant abandonments of critical administrative organs of the Corps, the ACGs and Commandants currently serving at the National Headquarters of NSCDC have no working tools, office space and official vehicles are strictly for the associates of the CG many of them not members of the Corps. However they are alleged to wield undue influence within the service as a result of their relationship with the CG.
Other sources who spoke to our correspondent also pointed at the indiscriminately allocation of portfolios and official vehicles to Junior officers while senior officers are relegated to the background without commensurate assignment befitting their offices and ranks.
“Audi have continued to run the Corps like his personal chiefdom, you have to be his yes man ready to do his bidding no matter how ugly to be assigned an office and working tools, most of the senior officers in the Corps don’t have offices not to talk of assigned duties, they just go there to roam around until closing hours and then go home” said the source.
Speaking further, he said the chain of command is completely broken, which is responsible for the indiscipline within the Corps. “The blame is on the head, there is a popular saying that, when a fish wants to rot it, starts from head. Do you know thay most of the official and security documents are taken to business centers for typing and printing? This is because there are no papers, computers and photocopy machines to process it within the office. The few offices that have these tools, don’t have power supply. Power supply only comes up for Audi any day he decides to be in office. On several cases and occasions personnel have to contribute money to attend to official document such as annual leave, pass, permission from duty and the likes This includes basic training activities within the Corps”. The source alleged.
Speaking further, the source accused Audi of not being attuned to his job specification saying, “Audi is only interested in his personal survival and getting a second tenure in office, this is the reason you see him gallivanting and hobnobbing with politicians, he is not interested in building the NSCDC into a force that is ready to face the security challenges bedeviling the country”.
From all indications, the recent fracas between the Nigerian Police force and the NSCDC is not only a revelation on the broken down chain of command within the Corps but also a wakeup call on the Federal Government to institute a probe into the activities of the NSCDC under Audi to unravel its internal contradictions, ascertain its problem with a view to reorganizing it and properly positioned to respond to the growing challenge of insecurity in the country.
