By Sumaila Ogbaje
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps , (NSCDC), has trained no fewer than 300 key officers of the Nigeria Hunter and Forest Security Service (NHFSS), on Operational, Leadership Skills and Organisational Management.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the participants of the 4-Days Capacity Workshop were drawn from the ranks of Assistant Commanders, Commanders, Assistant Commanders General, (ACG) and Deputy Commander General (DCG).
The training is being conducted at NSCDC Headquarters in Sauka Abuja.
In his remarks, the Commander General (CG) of NHFSS, Dr Joshua Osatimehin, said the training workshop was designed to enhance the capacity of NHFSS operatives as being rendered in public service.
Osatimehin said the training would be a continuous one, adding that the move would also go a long way in enhancing the productivity of NHFSS personnel towards strengthening the security of lives and property in forests accross the country.
He reiterated the commitment service to training and retraining of its officers and men.
The CG said that the capacity workshop was also to enable the hunters to contribute to the realisation of President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda in the area of security.
“NSCDC has over the years being rendering necessary security training to NHFSS to enable the service be abreast with current strategies on intelligence gathering, security tips, mode of conduct among others in line with the best international security standard.
“This is feared towards safeguarding the country from crimes and criminality most especially in the ungoverned space which the forests nationwide,” he said.
Osatimehin advised the participants to take what they have learnt during the four days Capacity Workshop to their State Commands and Structures by replicating the gains of the training on their junior officers most especially in the 774 Local Government Areas towards realising the objectives.
The Deputy Commander General (DCG), Technical Services, Dr John Metchie, said the training was a train the trainer initiative to enable the senior officers pass same to down to the local level.
Metchie said the organisation was determined to make sure that all its officers from the rank of deputy commanders upwards to were properly trained and well equipped on how to handle issues.
“We want to bring everybody up to standard, to the same level as the civil defense, same level as the police, same level of all our parent bodies in the army and everybody.
“ It is expected that when they go back to their various commands, everybody will be very professional doing their work.
“They will go back and train their own commands so that what they have learnt here, they will pass it down to their different state commands,” he said.
In a paper presentation entitled “Security Threats and Risks” a Commandant at NSCDC, Mr Vincent Ogu, advised the participants to always be alive to their responsibilities in line with the current trend in security business and operation.
He emphasised the need for beneficiaries of the capacity workshop to reciprocate the gesture through efficiency in their various duty posts.
Other lectures and paper presentation during the Workshop included Dress Code, Discipline, Security Tips and Identifying Security Threat and Risk among others.
She acknowledged the struggles of girls and women in Nigeria who faced period stigma in society, which is why the NGO came up with the sensitisation workshop.
She emphasised the importance of normalising menstruation where girls could openly discuss and understand menstrual health, noting that “this would be possible by encouraging conversations and providing necessary products.