Lahja Nashuuta
Fillemon Natangwe Nuule is a dedicated civil servant and chief of security at the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade, committed to ensuring a safe workplace. He believes that “a safe workplace is healthy for a sound business”.
With vast experience in the safety and security industry, Nuule wears many hats, and has a staggering list of responsibilities. These include being a legal advisor, an educator, an investigator, a control room operator, and a health and safety officer.
However, his primary duties entail performing risk analysis, which enables the security department to protect assets of the ministry, as well as to implement security and safety measures.
“I get to promote integrity amongst colleagues, and guide them to become law-abiding citizens by hardening the target
and vulnerability (asset) from getting exposed to risks and threats,” Nuule said.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and correctional management from the University of Namibia. Besides that, he also holds a diploma in legal studies from Triumphant College, and a diploma in Business Skills with Personnel/Human Resources through Peterborough Pitman Training Centre in the United Kingdom.
“The concept of security risk management is fairly new to most of the government offices, ministries and agencies. Most people do not understand our duties, and this makes life difficult,” he added.
Public service
Born in Windhoek, Nuule is proud to have a career in civil service. Having joined the public service in 2008 as a correctional officer at the Namibian Correctional Services (NCS), he has never looked back.
In 2017, Nuule left the NCS to join the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) as a security operations officer, a position he held until 2020. He then joined the Ministry of Mines and Energy as a senior security operations officer. He left the ministry in April 2023. “I have always wanted to serve the public, and thought being a government employee was going to be the best platform. The government is the people, and the people are the government. It is like working for your own company,” he beamed.
Queried on some of his memorable moments as a civil servant, Nuule noted that “the highlight of my career and working for the Ministry of Mines and Energy are memories I will never forget. Going to Cape Town and entering the vessels to complete a work mission was such a dream come true”.
On the public’s perception of the effectiveness of civil servants, he refused to plead ignorance to the fact that pockets of incompetence which ought to be addressed do exist within the public service.
However, he said such misconceptions should be detached from the broader institution. Nuule urged the public to desist from the portrayal of all government institutions as ineffective, suggesting that
such statements should be directed at the sluggish individuals whose lacklustre approach to work is dragging “the good name” of the civil service through the mud.
Asked about his plans as a committed civil servant, he revealed that he will dedicate his productive years to public service as a token of appreciation for all the opportunities that the government has accorded to him.
“I do not mind being in government until I retire, but working for a big parastatal will also come in handy,” he said.
On his wish list, Nuule dreams of one day becoming the Head of Security in one of the ministries.
“Professionally, I would like to acquire a certificate in security and become a consultant, and get enough money to give my children a better life than the one I had as a child,” Nuule added.
-lnashuuta@gmail.com