by Christiana Gokyo, Jos
Civil Defence Organization worldwide has set aside 1st March of every year to celebrate Milestone Progress made in the overall protection of lives and specific intervention rescue operations, especially during emergency, crisis, war situation or moments of untold distress that put larger civil populace in a general state of peril.
The Nigerian Civil Defence Corps, Plateau State, says the immediate goal of Civil Defence world over is to promote safety of humanity in the face of disaster, both natural and man-made.
A statement to this effect was signed and issued to newsmen in Jos by the State Commandant, Alexander Bissa Barunde, in Jos the Plateau State Capital, on Friday.
The statement indicated that, “The International Civil Defence Organization, with Headquarters in Geneva-Switzerland, was birthed from the trauma, starvation and all manners of vulnerabilities humanity was subjected to in the first and second World Wars.
“Catering for the civilian population in the face of danger, war and disaster was essentially the strong reasons necessitating the conception and establishment of Civil Defence as First-aid intervention response organization,” he explained.
According to him, “In Nigeria, therefore, the Civil Defence started largely as a voluntary organization known as ‘Lagos Civil Defence’ during the Civil War era, and same humanitarian responsibility it continually observed before eventual passage into law as a full-fledged security outfit, on 27/8/2003, by Act of the Joint National Assembly and, subsequently, empowered by amended Act in 2007, with multi-layered security responsibility and the status it retains till date and much ever expanding.
“With the overwhelming scope of operational mandates, the Corps has not lost thought of its founding principle of civil inter- relatedness and the goal of humanity and general human safety responsibility.
“This year’s ICDO has coined a theme, ‘Honouring heroes and promoting safety skills.’ In the quest to promoting safety of others, uncountable numbers of officers and men have sacrificed their lives in ensuring safety of others,” he stated.
According to Alexander Barunde, “This wholesome sacrifice and great price paid by heroes, both in the Civil Defence, other security services and humanitarian agencies alike, cannot just be swept away with lazy broom of carelessness.
“Therefore, there is the need to accord them greater place of honour and recognition, which is extended to their loved ones, families and children alike.”
The Commandant further explained that, during the last year’s ICDO, the Plateau State Command, under Commandant Alexander Bissa Barunde, took the celebration much further because of the importance attached to it, by sponsoring free medical outreach to all, who are willing, and cash donations to families of deceased officers and men and equally distribution of food items to all.
He observed that, “The security situation today could be termed precarious, and called for the need for every citizen to imbibe simple basic security consciousness through providing next-door watch security responsibility and strong adherence to all safety standards, and avoiding all vulnerabilities by deliberate involvement in security advocacy.
“Also, there is the need to promoting awareness and sensitization at all levels and pathways both, inter-faith, intra-faith and extra pathways and collaboration with major stakeholders.
“Let us all celebrate this day with love and feeling of weight of responsibility of safety self and others,” Alexander Bissa Barunde stated.