Focus more on intelligence gathering, Interior Minister tells NSCDC

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has directed that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) should henceforth focus more on intelligence gathering under his watch.
The Minister said his new direction was in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda to ensure security, improvement in economy and fight against corruption in the country.
Aregbesola, who was on familiarisation visit to the headquarters of the NSCDC, Thursday, said the agency was not the lead security agency in the country with its mandate only allowing it to provide supports to sister agencies.
The former Osun state governor said: “Since you are not the lead internal security agency, you must improve your intelligence gathering. The early warning capacity your agency provides to others will help reduce threats.
“My emphasis is on early warning part of security that will help sister agencies work better. Rather than being reactive, we will be proactive.”
According to Aregbesola, the hallmark of security was not the arrest of crisis but the elimination of threats, which the Corps will now focus on.
The Minister, who said the NSCDC was the most effective agency in communal security, charged the Corps to take advantage of its closeness to the grassroots to gather intelligence for lead security agencies in the country.
The former Osun State governor therefore, designed a new acronym for the Corps to work with in actualising President Buhari’s target.
Aregbesola said: “We must adopt his (Buhari)’s slogan in the way that it’s best suited for us. So, we will adopt ‘Set’ in this ministry which means Security, economic improvement and transparency.”
He assured that with this new method of working, there would be a significant improvement in security within the country in the shortest period.
Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Barr. Georgina Ehuriah said the minister was the best candidate to take the ministry to the next level.
“He’s a goal getter, hardworking man and never leaves anywhere how he met it”, she said, adding that he was already hitting the ground running with his familiarisation tour of agencies under the ministry.