The Borno State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has marked this year’s International Civil Defence Day in Borno.
Speaking at the occassion on Monday, the State Commandant of the NSCDC, Mr Abdullahi Ibrahim, said the event was a grand finale of the weeklong event which had featured among others to mark the day.
He noted that the theme of this year’s event “Civil Defence as First Aider in Every Home” was inline with the objectives of NSCDC.
Ibrahim said that as first responders during crisis, NSCDC personnel would continue to be trained and equipped to administer various degree of first aid and other medical services to the public.
The commandant lauded UNMAS for the training, which he said was timely as the state government embarked on resettlement of displaced persons back to their ancestral homes with possibility of coming into contact with mines and explosives littered within such ancestral homes planted by insurgents.
The Commandant said NSCDC would extend the training to personnel of private security firms in the state inview of their vital role to security in the state.
In his remarks as Guest Speaker, Mr Derek Somers of UNMAS, assured NSCDC and other security agencies of more training opportunities which he said was being funded by German Government.
Somers lauded the commitment and professionalism shown by personnel of NSCDC during the training and urged them to sustain the tempo.
“I hope we continue the training and go a little further in the next couple of months as we will be looking at training the trainers as part of the programme,” Somers said.
In his goodwill message, a representative of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Borno, Mr John Anderson, lauded the vital role of NSCDC in protecting public infrastructure and facilitating conflict resolution and dialogue in the society.
“All of these are significant contributions to comprehensive approach for civil defence and protection which is the cornerstone of community security and stability,” Anderson said.
He urged them to extend their first aid skill to others in the public.
In his remarks, the Chairman of Lincenced Private Security Organisations in Borno, Amb. Usman Danjuma, said as grassroots security organisations in Borno, they would continue to collaborate with NSCDC and other security agencies in securing the state.
Danjuma urged NSCDC for more training of private security personnel, particularly on first aid and other related areas to enhance their services.
Highlight of the occasion was a mock rescue of a blast victims by trained personnel of NSCDC.
