By John Ugo
The member representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa Federal Constituency in the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Shina Peller, has proposed a bill urging the House repeal the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (Amendment) Act 2007.
He is also seeking the transfer assets and personnel of the corps to the Nigeria Police Force.
The bill titled Nigeria Security And Civil Defence Corps (Repeal and Transition) 2022, which passed through first reading on Tuesday, also seeks for an establishment of a transition management committee to superintend over the NSCDC.
He is also proposing that the transition management committee develop regulations and implement procedures for the transfer of its assets and personnel to the Nigeria Police Force.
In the proposed bill, Peller argued that fragmentation of security resources across multiple competing agencies is counterproductive, and that the mandate of the NSCDC has expanded in such a way that it has now becomes a duplication of duties and responsibilities of the Nigeria Police Force.
According to him, this has led to avoidable conflicts.
Similarly, the lawmaker noted that every single function of the NSCDC can be done or is being done by the Nigeria Police Force, and that retaining it amounts to waste of scarce resources.
He pointed out that the annual budget of NSCDC is almost one hundred billion naira.
Peller explained that the development would not lead to loss of jobs as the assets and personnel of the NSCDC would be absorbed by the Nigeria Police.
