ABUJA- The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), FCT Command, has charged its personnel to ensure the protection of road reflective studs, railings, street lights and manhole covers.
Dr Olusola Odumosu, FCT Commandant of the corps, gave the charge in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Abuja, on Sunday.
Odumosu also charged the personnel to ensure adequate protection of facilities of all ongoing and completed projects in the territory as well a national critical infrastructure.
According to him, it is of paramount importance that street lights, amenities of the newly constructed roads and bridges, Abuja metro line rail tracks and other critical infrastructure are protected.
“Also road reflective studs, railings, manhole covers and other facilities must be properly secured from persons with criminal intentions.”
He clarified that the directive does not exempt the coverage of already existing roads and projects in the territory.
According to him, the yet to be inaugurated projects should be given priority attention because of its new components.
“We have activated surveillance patrol in the FCT especially in the city center and we will not take it lightly with anyone caught vandalising public properties.
“Most of the manholes and street lights in the territory have been vandalised and these new ones might be the next target for these criminals.
“The corps have put in place several measures to tackle this menace and has succeeded in the arrest and prosecutions of some suspected vandals and we are not stopping or slowing-down now,” he said.
Odumosu called on well-meaning Nigerians to serve as the eyes and ears of security agencies, urging residents to ‘say something when they see something’.
He reiterated that the corps, being the lead agency in the protection of critical national asset, would not relent in ensuring that the efforts of the present government ate not wasted.
According to him, it is high time the FCT regain its lost glory of infrastructural development.
NAN reports that the FCT Minister had said the various new projects in the territory would be inaugurated by Mr President between May 27 and June 6.(NAN)