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Disaster is any sudden event, such as flood, which
causes great damage or suffering to the people.
Disaster management is therefore the efforts by
human beings to control disasters. Notable disasters
include chemical poisoning and oil spillage, plane
crash, train derailment, flooding, road accidents
and bloody communal clash or civil disturbances.
Others are bomb blast, landslide or volcanic
eruption, fire outbreak and other natural or
man-made events that pose threats and danger to
people.
The emergence of the Nigerian Security and Civil
Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Lagos during the
Nigerian Civil war in 1967 was aimed at providing
succour for victims of disasters. Its initial focus
was therefore to organize communities for
self-preservation and protection against threats and
attack during emergency situations. It operated as a
voluntary organization until 2003 when it was
accorded full Para¬military status via Act No. 2 of
2003.
With such recognition came the expansion of its
mandate. In line with section 3 (a) of Act 2 of
2003, the NSCDC is mandated to assist communities in
the maintenance of peace and order and in the
protection of life and property during periods of
emergency. In times of emergency, the NSCDC is also
mandated to evacuate civilian population from danger
zones, provide and manage shelter for civilians,
assist in decontamination, carry out rescue
operations and provide emergency medical services
for disaster victims.
The NSCDC is also mandated to detect and demarcate
danger areas, assist the Federal and State fire
fighting operations, distribute emergency supplies
and provide assistance to restore order in
distressed areas in any period of emergency. In
addition, the NSCDC is very useful to the country in
other emergency situations. Its officials are
mandated to assist in repairing indispensable public
utilities.
Long before the NSCDC became a national affair, it
had been of assistance in several emergency
situations. Top on that list was the Ogunpa flood
disaster at Ibadan in 1981. Men of the NSCDC were
actively involved in the evacuation of lives and
property from the disaster zone. Men of the NSCDC
rose to the occasion, controlling the anxious crowd
and assisted fire fighters in their operations when
the NITEL building in Lagos went up in flames in
1983. Activities of the NSCDC became more noticeable
during the bomb blast at llorin in 1992 and at the
Ikeja Military cantonment in 2002. In both cases,
men of the NSCDC evacuated victims from the blast
sites. In the case of the Ikeja Military cantonment,
many citizens were rescued from the canal which
swallowed several others who could not be reached.
The NSCDC has also been active in other parts of the
country. During the civil disturbances which rocked
Kaduna State in February 2002, men of the Corps
rescued several people and evacuated corpses from
the streets. The NSCDC was also in the commanding
seat between 1994 and 2000 when ethnic militias
slugged it out against each other in Taraba State.
Beyond these laudable contributions to disaster
management in Nigeria, the NSCDC has played
prominent roles in rescue operations at the sites of
collapsed building in several parts of Nigeria
including Lagos, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Benin.
Though so young, the NSCDC has been very active in
carrying out its functions in line with its mandate
as enshrined in Act 2 of 2003. Since its mandate
covers disaster management, the corps will continue
to work hand in hand with all stakeholders and would
continue to educate and alert the civil populace of
danger areas as well as to detect and demarcate
them. What the citizens deserve to know is that
"Self defense is the mother of all defense".
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