Group Cautions Minister over ‘Abnormal Promotion Exercise’ in NIS

A group known as the True Nigerians for Transparency and Good Governance (TNTGG), has cautioned the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, against “acts that will further prune the confidence of personnel of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS),” warning that “abnormal promotions of junior officers over the senior officers is a time bomb waiting to explode.”
According to the group, despite the fact that the “special and abnormal” promotion exercise are against the Act establishing the Service and a misnomer in the Nigeria Immigration Service, “the selective and clandestine decision of the minister of Interior alongside the secretary and the newly promoted comptroller general is already caution rumbling and crisis in the service”.
The national coordinator of the group, Comrade Babajide Junaid, noted that “instead of the Minister of Interior to strengthen the functions of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and ensure the operational rules are duly followed and welfare of personnel and discipline is adhered to, the ministry is promoting discontent among the men and officers of the service.”
According to the group, “preliminary investigations into the rising discontent in the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) revealed that the secretary of the Board of Civil Defense, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Service, Jaafaru Ahmed, is allegedly responsible for the ongoing manipulations and mischief in the NIS due to his manipulative hold on the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.”
It was gathered that President Bola Tinubu had “dissolved the board and members of the Civil Defense, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Service, but Jaafaru returned unofficially, Jaafaru Ahmed, who is the secretary remained untouched.
“He is alleged to be manipulating all the activities of the board making the minister a rubber stamp to controversial decisions and faulty policies,” they said.
Jaafaru Ahmed, according to the group, “and not the minister of Interior, is responsible for the manipulation the promotion of officers of all the four services under the ministry. The promotion exercise is being tampered with and alterations are made to accommodate the illegal special promotion in the Nigeria Immigration Service specifically.
“It is also gathered that these illegalities and alterations are allegedly sponsored by Caroline Wuraola Adepoju, the Comptroller General of Immigration Service. President Bola Tinubu should intervene and stop the illegal special promotion in the Immigration Service bringing junior comptrollers to higher ranks.”