Nigeria Ready To Tackle Insecurity, Says Tunji-Ojo During Surprise Visit To NSCDC, Fire Service

The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Thursday declared that Nigeria is fully prepared to confront the security challenges facing the nation, stressing that President Bola Tinubu has issued a clear directive for improved efficiency across all internal security agencies.

Tunji-Ojo made the remark during an unscheduled assessment visit to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) FCT Command and the Federal Fire Service (FFS) Station in Wuse Zone 3, Abuja.

Speaking during the surveillance exercise, the minister said President Tinubu had given a “marching order to ensure that agencies under the ministry are positioned for optimum and perfect delivery of service.”

According to him, achieving a safe and secure Nigeria remains a continuous process, one in which the NSCDC and other paramilitary agencies play a critical role.

“The president is putting all hands on deck to make sure that we have a safe Nigeria. The issue of safety and security of a nation is a work in progress, and the NSCDC has a major role to play,” he said.

While inspecting the ongoing construction of the NSCDC FCT Command training ground, Tunji-Ojo emphasised the importance of sustained capacity building for security personnel.

“Paramilitary service is about constant and effective training and capacity building. The FCT command seems to be up and doing, and I am impressed with the training centre,” he noted.

He added that the facility, designed for arms guard and tactical training, reflects forward-thinking leadership within the corps.

“You can only give what you have. With what we have seen here, they are preparing for the future that will eventually come. We must keep training, retraining and investing so these gallant officers can continue to give their best to Nigeria,” he stated.

Tunji-Ojo also assured that the Interior Ministry, under President Tinubu’s administration, will continue to strengthen support to all paramilitary commands.

“The president has given us all the support. So it is my responsibility to give all the support to these agencies, and that is why I am here,” he said.

The minister charged officers of the NSCDC, Fire Service and other paramilitary agencies to carry out their duties with professionalism and respect for citizens’ rights.

“Security is life. We are relying on them and Mr President is trusting them to deliver on internal security and protection of critical national assets. We believe they will deliver and we will all be proud to call this country home,” he said.

He further disclosed that the ministry will intensify surprise visits to paramilitary commands nationwide to assess real-time performance.

“We want to see things the way they are, to see the sort of service Nigerians are getting. A good service is not good enough for Nigerians, only the best is acceptable,” he insisted.

However, the minister expressed dissatisfaction with the condition of the Federal Fire Service station in Wuse.

“I have expressed my views on things I am not comfortable with, and I will take them up with the Controller General. These issues must never happen again,” he said.

He stressed that a rescue agency must maintain a constant state of preparedness.

“The fire service is a rescue service agency, meant to be prepared for emergencies at all times. These issues will be corrected, and we will ensure there is no repetition,” he assured.