The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, has unveiled a uniform approved for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) as part of efforts to boost their capabilities and morale.
Tunji-Ojo unveiled the new camouflage uniform on Thursday during a ceremony at the Federal Ministry of Interior in Abuja.
The minister expressed optimism that the new garb will increase the confidence of NSCDC personnel in executing their duties, particularly in collaborative operations with other security services across the nation.
Tunji-Ojo, in a statement issued on Thursday by the NSCDC spokesperson, CSC Babawale Zaid Afolabi, reiterated the government’s commitment to improving the welfare of paramilitary officers.
Also, he announced plans for salary review through collaboration with the salaries and wages commission, along with the introduction of specific allowances for NSCDC personnel, assuring prompt payments upon budget approval.
“We are working with the salaries and wages commission for an upward review of the salaries of paramilitary officers.
“We will ensure adequate training and retraining and put an end to the era of career stagnation for all personnel of paramilitary agencies… We will have a system that will support the weakest and the strongest personnel.
“We are working on establishing a paramilitary pension board, just like those of the Army and the police” to ease the trouble of retiring personnel,” he said.
Addressing concerns pertaining to career progression, Tunji-Ojo promised to address career stagnation and ensure equitable support for all personnel.
He also pledged to advocate for a paramilitary pension board as obtainable in the Army and police, to facilitate seamless retirement processes for NSCDC officers.
In his remarks, the Commandant General of the NSCDC, Ahmed Abubakar Audi, said the new camouflage uniforms would boost the confidence of his men during operations.
He explained that the colour scheme, blending black, blue, and brown, symbolizes the Corps’ service colours and operational landscapes.
He added that the newly unveiled uniform will be exclusively worn by specially trained Special Forces personnel and service commanders deployed across all NSCDC formations.
“The black and the blue represent the Corps’ service colours and the browns represent the operational ground.
“The uniform will be worn by Special Forces trained personnel and service commanders across all formations of the Corps,” the CG said.
