OgaAtTheTop: Lagos Civil Defence Commander Redeployed

Shem Obafaye

By Tokunbo Olajide

Mr. Shem Obafaye, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC Lagos Commandant, who popularised the ‘My Oga At the Top’ joke has been redeployed from his post.
Obafaye has been replaced by Mr. Adesuyi Clement, from the Oyo State Command.

Obafaye became an object of snide remarks after he committed a gaffe when he was guest on a breakfast show on Channels Television, a development that embarrassed the NSCDC authorities. Hint of Obafaye’s removal was given, weekend, when the Commandant General of the NSCDC, Mr. Olu Abolurin, while visiting Lagos over the recent killings of two of his men, introduced Clement as the new commandant of the NSCDC in Lagos to pressmen.
Abolurin did not give reasons for Obafaye’s replacement but many readily connect the action to Obafaye’s embarrassing outing on the TV guest show.
The NSCDC had, in the days following Obafaye’s poor showing, denied it had taken any disciplinary action against him, though reports said he had been suspended.
Obafaye’s ordeal began 12 March when he appeared as a guest on Lagos-based Channels Television’s flagship morning programme, Sunrise Daily.
The commandant had been prompted by the show’s presenters to give the NSCDC’s website – following reports of a recruitment scam that had to do with some people setting up a fake website of the paramilitary organisation to con job seekers.
But to the interviewers’ surprise, Obafaye said he could not give a website now, and it would turn out, in his words, “My Oga at the top” (his boss), would give a different website later.
The presenters prodded the officer further, explaining that they merely wanted the organisation’s functional website, just so the public could be wary of falling into the hands of frauds, who had set up the fake website.
Obafaye, behaving as though he now understood the question clearly, shocked his interviewers, and viewers alike, even further when he gave the website as merely: “ww.nscdc”, paused a few seconds, and added “that’s all”, without including the “.com” that should have completed the website address.
After Obafaye’s howler, the footage of the interview instantly went viral on social media, making him an object of several rude jokes, including graphic illustrations on Blackberry Messenger, Facebook , Twitter, T-shirts, and musical mixes by DJs.