Kayode Olasekun
One of the best initiatives taken by the Federal Government, led by President Mohammadu Buhari a few months ago to boost the critical security sector in Nigeria was the appointment of Dr Audi Ahmed as the Commandant- General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
More importantly, Dr Audi is a personable gentleman who combines academic profundity and administrative sagacity with unusual humility and remarkable peacefulness.
As Nigeria goes through these troubling times and leadership in many spheres of our national life is a colossal disappointment, the example of Dr Audi is an accentuation of E. B. White’s assertion that there is hope.
“As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate,” White wrote.
It is said that seeing is believing, an encounter with the CG in Abuja truly demonstrated that he truly deserves, or even surpasses, all the accolades that have been showered on him, including being the essential “Good Citizen of the Federal Republic” (GCFR). I found that as many academic scholars in the field of security studies said recently during the inauguration of a female armed squad, in NSCDC National Headquarters, Abuja Nigeria that, truly, “Dr Audi epitomizes frugality, focus, patriotism, sense of mission and above all honesty and prudence in the management of public funds.”
Leadership is everything and what the NSCDC is today, a well-respected para-military organisation and an envy of other establishments of its like is due to the hard work, tenacity, diligence and the personality of its Commandant General.
He has the singular credit of building the corps from scratch until it attains its current level of achievements. He is the model security officer whose discipline and commitment to excellence should be emulated by all Nigerians, especially our armed men in uniform.
At a recent Strategic Training Workshop for Senior Officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Election Monitoring held at the Civil Defence Academy, Sauka, Abuja, where I was privileged to be on the ground, I had the opportunity of seeing Dr Ahmed Audi in close quarters.
The impression he left in many of those meeting him for the first time is unmistakably overwhelming. Soft-spoken, avuncular, simple, courteous and intelligent, he strikes you as the quintessence of civility.
It was not therefore surprising that everyone that knows him spoke glowingly about him.
The Governor of Oyo State, Engr Seyi Makinde during a courtesy visit to the CG in Abuja recently, was fulsome in extolling his virtues. His submission flowed from the heart, not just a matter of expressing platitudes often associated with such occasions as a matter of protocol.
Several dignitaries, including men and officers of the Corps, abandoned all they had to do on that day morning to witness and listen to very wonderful encomiums the Governor was saying about their number one Civil Defence in Nigeria.
It would also interest you to note that, it did not take long before I came to realise that civility constitutes the heart of the NSCDC boss… In other words, beyond the actual meaning of NSCDC, I came to the conclusion that the acronym means more. NSCDC has demonstrated that it stands for Neutrality, which is the hallmark of professionalism, by not dragging itself into politics and remaining true to its constitutional duties. The organisation also symbolises Sacrifice, a true mark of any security agency that is worth its name. Other attributes represented by the other letters are Civility, Discipline and Competence and I saw all these qualities with my inner and outer eyes.
Few Nigerian public officers are as humble as Dr Audi, a man of wisdom and great learning. The words of T. S. Elliot seems to have their practical manifestation in him with clinical precision: “The only wisdom we can hope to acquire is the wisdom of humility: humility is endless.” Dr Audi’s humility, even while engaging his subordinates, is endless.
Nigeria actually owes Dr Audi a debt of gratitude because there would have been deadly clashes between the police and the NSCDC if not because of his peaceful and amiable nature recently…
A striking discovery during the engagement with the NSCDC is that Dr Audi has inspired his officers and men to attain a high level of academic and professional training as there are many officers of the corps who have a doctorate degree, not to talk of Masters. This academic pedigree has partly informed the competence and temperament of the corps, for which Dr Audi deserves additional credit. A man of peace in theory and practice.
Dr Audi, upon his assumption as the Commandant- General of the NSCDC, noticed a high level of irregularities in the promotions of men and officers of the corps and he didn’t leave any stone unturned in addressing all these and shortly, based on the machinery he has put in places, socour will come to the ways of the corp members as many of them will soon put on a smiling face.
Kayode Olasekun, Media Assistant to the Commandant-General writes from Abuja.
