After six months of intensive training, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) passed out 46 newly recruited officers on Friday.

At the passing out parade, which coincided with 2024 World Civil Defence Organisation Day (WCDD), the commandant of the Edo Command of NSCDC, Gbenga Agun, charged the 2023 intakes to be diligent in the discharge of their duties.

On the WCDD, Mr Agun applauded civil defenders in the state for being on the front lines during disasters in 2023.

He identified flooding, which displaced several communities in the state, the Ologbo tanker fire incident, and the Lassa fever outbreak as some of the emergencies where the officers distinguished themselves.

“These momentous events in terms of the number of deaths and material damage did not dampen the morale of the teams of civil defenders deployed to the various scenes of these incidents.

“The active solidarity of players from all tiers of the security apparatus, as well as the sincere involvement of both international and national institutions, were set in motion to save lives, alleviate suffering and restore living conditions,” he said.

The NSCDC boss said the International Civil Defence Organisation had recommended reflection on innovative technologies as part of the celebration of the 2024 WCDD.

He said tools such as drones, intelligence sensors, geographic information systems and other artificial intelligence were good for the NSCDC to predict, prevent, prepare, respond and rebuild.

Mr Agun reaffirmed the commitment of the Edo command of the NSCDC to reducing the risk of disasters and their impact throughout the state.

In his goodwill message, the state governor, Godwin Obaseki, said the state government would partner with the NSCDC in capacity building for members of vigilance groups.

The governor was represented by the state commissioner of public security and safety, Kingsley Uwagbale.

Mr Obaseki said he was impressed with the conduct of the new intakes during their passing-out exercise.

“For our vigilantes and state-owned security agencies, we have seen more areas of collaboration in terms of training and capacity building based on what we have seen here today,” he said.

Mr Obaseki also pledged to strengthen the command’s empowerment programme.

(NAN)