Immigration Service speaks on ‘acrimonious’ promotion exercise

In recent times, there has been some anonymous but scandalous postings on the social media about the recent promotion exercise in the Nigeria Immigration Service.
The fibs has been officially debunked as not true and described as the figment of the imagination of such authors.
Speaking to journalists at the headquarters of the Service on Wednesday morning, the Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller of Immigration Abraham Sunday James, said: “About the last promotion exercise that was released recently, all you have read on the social media have no atom of truth accusing the Comptroller General, Mohammed Babandede, of Islamising the service by denying qualified officers except they are Muslims and northerners.”
James brought out the list of the promoted staff, which revealed that of those who aspired to the highest office in the service, the Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration, 23 were promoted to that rank.
Thirteen of them are Christians, 10 are Muslims, while nine of them are women and 14 are men.
Of the nine women promoted, eight are Christians and the only Muslim woman is Salamatu Mohammed.
By geographical spread, 12 of the 23 officers promoted are from the South, while 11 are from the North.
James said: “I must also state the fact that all these sectional interests were not even put into consideration when the promotion was being undertaken.
“The promotion was done strictly on merit.
“I also got promoted myself, yet I am a Christian from the South.”
Asked what could have been the source of the acrimonious publications on the social media, James insisted: “From the day this Comptroller General, Mohammed Babandede, had resumed, he had used every effort to streamline officers to be more responsive to our publics.
“Many officers were caught either for dereliction of duty, for taking bribe, for not living up to expectation.
“Many of these people were those who have designed a means of publishing so much untruth about the service.
“I wish you can do independent survey of officers and men in the service to verify all I have told you.
“Our staffers are happier today than before the coming of the Comptroller General.
“Many members of the public who has had contacts with our men have had good words to say.
“We are reforming and fighting corruption to a standstill.
“The victims of the reforms are the ones undermining the system.”