Abeokuta, Ogun State
— The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Ogun State Command has
called for stronger cooperation among communities, government, and security
agencies to protect critical national assets from vandalism and sabotage.
This was the thrust of a one-day stakeholders’
meeting held at the Command Headquarters, Abeokuta, with the theme: “Protecting
Critical National Assets and Infrastructure through Effective Cooperation,
Collaboration, and Coordination.”
Call for Vigilance and Community Ownership
Speaking at the event, Ogun State Commandant Remilekun
Omalade-Ekundayo stressed that assets such as power facilities, railways,
airports, telecom networks, transformers, and streetlights are vital to
national development and must be safeguarded.
“Anything the government builds comes at a huge cost.
Destroying them is like destroying ourselves because we all rely on these
facilities,” she said.
She urged residents to embrace community vigilance,
intelligence sharing, and whistleblowing as practical steps against
sabotage, warning that asset protection should not be left to security agencies
alone.
Ogun Govt Backs Community Role
Representing the state government, Senior Special
Assistant on Inter-Ethnic Affairs, Hadi Sani, highlighted the importance of
grassroots involvement in security.
“You should be the chief security officer of your home
and community. If you see something, say something. The transformer in your
area is your first responsibility before the government takes it up,” he said.
Broad Stakeholder Commitment
The meeting drew participation from traditional
rulers, youth groups, community development associations (CDAs), and
representatives of the Army, Police, DSS, Immigration, Customs, FRSC, Fire
Service, Correctional Service, Amotekun, TRACE, So-Safe Corps, Vigilante Group,
NOA, and private sector partners.
All stakeholders echoed the need for synergy,
grassroots vigilance, and shared responsibility in safeguarding national
assets.
The event also featured recognition of Commandant
Omalade-Ekundayo by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC)
for outstanding performance in protecting power installations and prosecuting
vandals across the state.
Consensus
Stakeholders unanimously agreed that protecting
national assets requires cooperation, collaboration, and coordination at all
levels of society to ensure sustainability, security, and economic growth.
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