THE Nigerian Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola has said that Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Fire Service and other security agencies will establish female squads in the nearest future as a means of mainstreaming the female gender and guaranteeing their dignity in society.
The minister said this in a speech delivered at the passing out parade for members of the newly established Female Squad of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) held on Thursday in Katsina State.
“Women are more than half of our population. It makes eminent sense to include them in all aspects of nation- building, including security. For the avoidance of doubt, all our other agencies will soon roll out their own female squads,” he said.
He expressed joy at the initiative and urged the new officers to ensure that Nigeria benefitted from the knowledge they acquired in the course of their training.
Aregbesola noted that the country was going through security challenges occasioned by the activities of terrorists and urged security agencies to rise up to the occasion by re-strategising to provide a more secure environment for Nigerians.
He charged the management team of NSCDC to make training and staff welfare a priority while assuring Nigerians that the security situation in the country was only temporary.
“President Muhammadu Buhari has given the law enforcement agencies a renewed charge to restore peace to every troubled community in Nigeria. We shall not rest or tire until this task is completed,” he said.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.