‘My Oga at the top,’ Obafaiye, replaced at Civil Defence without reason

Shem Obafaiye became a popular figure in Nigeria after a famous interview aired on Channels Television.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, has replaced Shem Obafaiye as the Lagos State Commandant of the outfit.

The Commandant General, Olu Abolurin, made this known during a visit in Lagos at the weekend.

Clement Adesuyi, from the Oyo State Command, takes over from Mr. Obafaiye as the new Commandant.

No reasons were given for Mr. Obafaiye’s removal, barely a year after he was appointed; but observers point at his recent interview in a Channels Television live programme.

Speaking as a guest at the station’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, where he was answering questions on the employment scams in government agencies; Mr. Obafaiye insisted that the NSCDC was not part of the job racketeering.

“I can assure you that in Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, nothing like that is happening,” Mr. Obafaiye said.

However, his problem began when he was asked to state the NSCDC’s website for members of the public who would like to get information about the agency.

“The one (website) that we are going to make use of is going to be made known by my Oga at the top. Yes. I can’t announce one now, and my Oga says it’s another one that we are going to use,” Mr. Obafaiye had said.

After repeated prodding by the programme’s anchors, the former Lagos Commandant capitulated and then delivered what would, arguably, become the most memorable line yet of 2013.

“If you want to know about NSCDC as at now. Ok, www.nscdc…. That’s all.”

The interview, compressed into a 1 minute 8 seconds video, went viral on social media, with music DJs spinning off a ‘remix’ of the interview and shirts with the ‘Oga at the top’ insignia’ retailed on online shops.

Afterwards, another story went viral, rumours that Mr. Obafaiye had been suspended following his ‘dismal’ outing at the March 6 interview.

The NSCDC, however, stoutly denied it, with Mr. Abolurin insisting that he had not committed any offence.

“We are still on course because he has not committed any offence,” Mr. Abolurin had told journalists after the annual National Co-operative Corps, recently.

“If a person is being interviewed and in the process he could not comport himself, that does not result to a crime, it is a question of maturity,” he added.