Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has charged Officers and Men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to brace up in the task of protecting critical government infrastructure in the country.
Gov. Adams Oshiomhole
Oshiomhole gave the charge yesterday when he granted audience to the Assistant Commandant General, Zone G, Mr. Aragade Joseph at the Government House, Benin City.
Governor Oshiomhole said, “I watch from time to time some of the achievements of your commands nationwide, in dealing with illegal bunkering and pipelines vandalization among others and I urge you to continue to do your best to secure those very critical national assets for the good of all.
“We also readily appreciate the enormity of the problem of monitoring and protecting what you call ‘critical government infrastructure’, whether they are owned by the Federal, State or Local Government and of a particular challenge is the issue of pipeline vandalization. Unfortunately, there are too many criminals who think that the easiest way to make money is to vandalize pipelines.
Oshiomhole noted “this is not only an economic crime, it is a very serious crime. It is also one that has the capacity to compromise our environment, when they steal oil, as they often do, when they break pipelines to carry out illegal refinery or to extract products and sell to the black market, often time, the area is polluted.
“For us whose most valuable asset is land, when that land is polluted, the consequences are obvious not only to farmers whose source of livelihood is readily compromised but even those of us who live there, the pollution effects us and other associated diseases are rather imagined.”
Oshiomhole while appreciating the efforts of the Officers and Men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps in the area of security of lives and properties said, “For us, when it comes to security, everybody should be an activist. It is about information, it is about intelligence, it is about sharing information and also going out there to physically enforce security”.
Governor Oshiomhole however assured the State Command of the NSCDC of government’s assistance in arresting the perennial erosion problem at Lucky Way Area at Ramat Park to enable staff of NSCDC have easy access to their office.
Earlier, the Assistant Commandant General, Zone G, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mr. Aragade Joseph had commended the State Government’s efforts in infrastructural development and provision of employment to youths in the state and requested state government’s assistance in providing conducive working environment to the officers and men of the Command in the State.