A set of personnel recruited into the Jigawa State command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps in 2012 have petitioned the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, alleging that they are being marginalized in the corps’ promotion exercise.
In a letter of appeal addressed to the minister, signed by one Baba Hamisu, the NSCDC staff said they joined the service in 2012 with the Higher National Diploma certificate, and that their promotion had been stunted over the years.
According to them, “if not because of the latest policy of abolishing of HND/BSc dichotomy, we might still be at our (entry) rank till date.
“With the effect of this policy, we were advanced from the rank of Inspector (07) to Senior Inspector of Corps (08), and now ASC 11” with effect from 8th September 2016.
They claimed that while their own promotion was being stunted, personnel in other sister agency (which was not named) under the Ministry of Interior “that benefited advancement with us were promoted during the promotion exercise in 2019.”
They said: “During the year 2020 promotion exercise, CDIFCB sent our names as eligible personnel that would write promotion examination, which we did; but to our surprise, when the result was released, our names (HND 2012 intake) were not found on the list.
“And it’s not possible all the HND 2012 intake personnel would fail the examination all over the formations we have in Nigeria.
“By the virtue of the requirement for promotion examination, we have spent three and plus (years) in our present rank. If personnel that were promoted in 2017 could be considered for this promotion examination of year 2020, we don’t see why ours is different.”
The group of NSCDC staff alleged that the 2016 ASC 11 intake were given preferential treatment as COMPRO was used as criterion for their promotion to the next rank (ASC 1), arguing that for the sake of fairness, the same privilege should be extended to every other personnel of the corps if he/she passed COMPRO examination, “because sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.”
And “If this latest development is only applicable to the 2016 intake, why were other ranks as Inspector, Assistant Inspector and Corp Assistant of the same 2016 intake not promoted to their next rank?” they asked.
They appealed to the minister to use his good offices to redress the issue so as to prevent internal crisis in the agency.
Besides, according to them, “our morale is getting low to carry out the mandate of the organization.”