Adebayo Adenrele
The newly deployed Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ekiti State Command, CC Sotiyo Igbalawole Emmanuel, has identified prompt response to distress calls as one of his major priorities in the state.
Igbalawole stated this on Wednesday while paying a courtesy visit to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ekiti State Council, during its August Congress, where he outlined some of the measures being adopted to strengthen security, surveillance and emergency response across the state.
The NSCDC Commandant said the command was already strengthening its operational capacity through increased monitoring and surveillance, while also engaging Community Development Associations (CDAs) to identify security needs and challenges in their respective communities.
According to him, the Ekiti State Government had provided vehicles to the NSCDC to enhance its operational activities, particularly in the areas of monitoring, surveillance and rapid response.
Igbalawole also disclosed that he had directed the command’s tactical team to strategic locations across the state as part of efforts to strengthen security and ensure faster response to emerging threats.
Speaking on the recent flooding incidents recorded in parts of Ekiti, the Commandant described the situation as unfortunate, stressing that the NSCDC had taken proactive steps by mobilising personnel to areas considered vulnerable to flooding.
The Commandant further assured residents that the NSCDC was prepared to act on credible information from members of the public, urging citizens to provide timely and reliable information that could assist security agencies in preventing threats and responding effectively to emergencies.
He also used the opportunity to seek for media partnership, saying their collaboration in reporting the success stories of the command will further strengthen the security architecture of the state.
His words, “The Governor has given us some vehicles to enhance our activities, monitoring and surveillance. We are meeting with CDAs to know what we need.
“It is unfortunate that we have such flooding in the state. Our organisation is the first and only one to visit those areas. We mobilised our men yesterday to those places, Elemi Water, Ayemi Garage.
“I can give you that assurance. What we need is credible information and we will work on it”.
Earlier in his remarks, Ekiti NUJ Chairman, Comrade Kayode Babatuyi commended the new Commandant for making NUJ as part of his first official visits to relevant stakeholders in the state, with a promise to partner with the command for the success of his administration.
