Abuja: The Commandant-General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Prof. Ahmed Audi, has commended the NSCDC outgoing Acting Deputy Commandant-General, Dr. Benito Eze, for documenting the corps’ experience in protecting critical infrastructure. Audi, represented by ACG Rasaki Olusesan, praised Eze during the presentation of his book, ‘Critical Infrastructure Protection in Nigeria: The NSCDC CNAI Experience’, in Abuja. The event marked Eze’s disengagement from service as Acting Deputy Commandant-General in charge of the Critical National Assets and Infrastructure (CNAI) Directorate.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Audi described Eze as an asset to the nation, noting that the book captures his contributions and experiences within the CNAI directorate. Audi emphasized the book’s potential as a valuable resource for the NSCDC to enhance its effectiveness and efficiency in protecting critical national assets and infrastructure.
Earlier, Eze explained that his motivation for writing the book stemmed from identifying gaps in Nigeria’s infrastructure protection approach. His operational experience revealed that infrastructure projects were often initiated without adequate protection plans. Eze remarked on the uniqueness of Nigeria’s situation, where infrastructure is established without any protection plan by the owners.
The author discussed his study on the statutory role of the NSCDC in critical infrastructure protection, advocating for stronger inter-agency collaboration. He highlighted the transition from a fragmented system to one of greater collaboration, cooperation, and coordination among relevant agencies, emphasizing that infrastructure protection in Nigeria has improved.
Eze also identified inter-agency competition and a ‘superiority complex’ as challenges that previously led agencies to operate in silos. He recommended stronger government directives to ensure effective implementation of the national policy on critical national assets and infrastructure protection.
Prof. Udenta Udenta, who chaired the occasion, described Eze’s retirement as a significant rite of passage following a distinguished career. Udenta commended Eze for blending professional service with scholarship, noting the book’s importance as an intellectual contribution to the country.
In reviewing the book, Prof. Bakut Bakut highlighted its major contribution as documenting the NSCDC’s evolution from a traditional civil defence role to specialized protection of critical national assets and infrastructure. Bakut discussed the concept of ‘security by design’, advocating for security considerations to be integral to infrastructure planning and design.
Bakut also called for stronger empirical evidence and measurable performance indicators to evaluate the proposed approach’s effectiveness. He noted that the precise scope of the NSCDC’s role as the lead agency in critical infrastructure protection needs further clarity, considering the roles of other security agencies and government institutions.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 248-page book examines topics such as the evolution of critical infrastructure protection, strategic protection methods, sectoral case studies, the terrorism-infrastructure nexus, institutional reforms, and recommendations.