The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has revealed that psychological profiling is a new criteria for screening candidates into the Corps during its recruitment exercise.
This was disclosed by Abdullahi Gana, Commandant-General (CG), of the Corps in a statement by Mr Emmanuel Okeh, Spokesman, NSCDC on Monday in Abuja.
Gana made the statement while receiving report on the Forensic Psychological Profiling of the Corps personnel carried out earlier in the year by the Corps’Forensic and Behavioural Unit.
Gana said the Corps had taken its decision to involve the exercise as one of the recruitment criteria without compromise as the result was also going to serve as a basis for deploying personnel to critical assignments.
He said that the essence of the exercise was to ensure psychological stability of personnel as a result of post stress management disorder.
He further explained that it was not for the purpose of deranging or downsizing of personnel as insinuated by some personnel due to the security profiling carried out earlier in the year.
Gana noted that he had ordered the Forensic Unit of the Corps to carry out the psychological and behavioral profiling exercise on a routine basis for personnel.
According to him, with the prevalence of substance abuse in the nation, if not properly managed by carrying out such checks, in the nearest future the nation may be in serious trouble.
He said that the Corps, although the youngest among the Federal government uniform organisations, was ready to stand out in its operations and interactions with the civil populace.
Tersoo Shaapera, Forensic officer, NSCDC, explained that the areas to be tested include: general level of Psychological Functioning, Achievement Motivation, Emotional Intelligence, Risk Assessment for Substance use, Cognitive Style Assessment and Risk Assessment for Violence among others.
Air Vice Marshal Emmanuel Chukwu, Director, Earth Observation at the Defence Space Administration (DSA), described the action of the CG as strategic, apt and timely.
He was of the opinion that from the point of recruitment, the Service should begin to close mark personnel in order to select the right officers in their right frame of mind in order to be deployed for critical national assignments.
“Background check was of utmost importance to good service delivery,” he said.
He commended the CG’s desire of ensuring that personnel were psychologically balanced for the job in order to avoid accidental discharge and indiscipline as obtained in some uniform organisations.