The Nigerian government has approved the formation of a new corps of commissionaires, targeted at giving jobs to retired military personnel, their dependants and other Nigerians.
According to a report by PREMIUM TIMES the new outfit will be a non-profit security firm to provide employment for ex-servicemen willing to earn additional income to supplement their monthly pensions.
By the plan, government may have hijacked the idea of an existing Nigerian Legion Corps of Commissionaires. The corps, from posts on Facebook was created in 2015 and had sought government and legislative recognition and a share of the security burden of the country.
Premium Times reported that the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force have all directed their formations across the country to begin circulating forms for interested persons to join the new outfit.
Corps of Commissionaires is modelled after the British Corps of Commissionaires and other similar establishments across the Commonwealth.
It is created to provide meaningful employment for veterans of the armed services.
The Commissionaires movement traces its roots to 1859, when Captain Sir Edward Walter KCB organized seven disabled veterans of the Crimean War and Indian Mutiny to act as nightwatchmen, a post on Wikipedia said.
The policy was apparently designed as part of Buhari administration’s efforts to contain the country’s acute unemployment, which had been worsened by massive job losses within the last four years while millions of youth also remain perpetually underemployed or unemployed.
Currently, public offices are being protected mostly by police officers, civil defence officers, and other civilian paramilitary officers. Nigerian Army and State Security Service (SSS) also send personnel to several crucial federal offices and assets to provide additional security.
PM NEWS
