Leadership (Abuja)
Austine Unoarumi
1 October 2008
opinion
When the Act establishing the Nigeria Security And Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) was first signed into law by the then Head of State, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003, the Corps, which in the late 1960s was known as the Lagos Civil Defence, was primarily saddled with the responsibility of guiding and informing residents of Lagos and its environs about the dangers of war and how to behave and escape from its disasterous effects.
The acronym "disaster" was indeed difficult to define despite the existence of an Advanced Learners Dictionary. Between the year 2003 and the latter part of 2006, it was unarguable that the nation witnessed several disasters, both man-made and natural even with the presence of relevant agencies including the NSCDC which, by law, has a 35 % statutory role to play in disaster management. Within the period in question, available records have shown that the sudden event of disaster caused unquantifiable calamities, morbidity and morbidity rate, environmental degradation among other forms of economic losses. While it become necessary to ascertain whether NSCDC has that competence to face the challenges of disaster management in the country as provided in the Act establishing it, it is also not out of place to draw the position of some members of the public who have cast doubts and aspersion on the ability of the Corps to tackle issues of disaster management.
These criticisms may not be incorrect, hence the need not be condemned, perhaps for the fact that many have viewed the primary responsibility of the Corps to include the fight against vandals of public installations and supervision of the private guards companies in the country. But a cursory look at the Corps will reveal that the activities of the Corps transcend the common notion conceived and aired by the inquisitive public. Only recently , considering the relevance of disaster management in the country and in accordance with its laid down procedures, the first step taken by the present leadership of Corps was to break into six units the department of disaster management, namely; Prevention and Mitigation, Search and Rescue, Relief and Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, First Aid and Administrative Units. The decision was aimed at ensuring effective productivity.
Despite introducing overseas training in disaster management for Corps members, the leadership of the outfit, as could be seen during disasters, has continually carried out public education workshops, seminars, lectures as a way of creating awareness for members of the public as well as reporting changes to the appropriate state and federal government authorities as a way of checkmating occurrence of disasters. The NSCDC in recent times has also become notable during disasters in the country. During the recent air crashes, corp members compiled names of disaster victims for resettlement and compensation. They were also involved in evacuating bodies of deceased persons at the sites, while those injured were taken and deposited at the various medical centres for attention.
Despite the efforts of the Corps in assisting victims to recover personal belongings during disasters, corps members who were recently drafted to the scene of a recent air disaster were said to have played a significant role in discovering the black box. The Corps does not find it necessary as part of its responsibilities to repair indispensable public utilities. During periods of emergency, it also assists in the control of traffic during distress or disasters. Despite bringing to the fore the contributions of the NSCDC in time of disasters , it is also important to note that the Corps could not be said to have achieved a 100% feat in disaster management.
A lot still need to be done if occurrence of disasters in the country is to be reduced , if not completely checked. Government may claim to have played its part, but it cannot be said to be enough. To effectively achieve this goal which does not just end at putting it as part of the responsibility of NSCDC, the government should see the need to adequately fund the Corps through the provision of ambulances and medical trucks, including enough equipment and kits for rescue operations. The Corps on its own must seek international support from the International Civil Defence Organisation in terms of providing training for corp members in disaster management. This will go a long way in ameliorating the challenges of disasters in the country.
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