From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
Early this year, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) promoted 4,494 officers and upgraded 5,010 personnel, while 516 were converted.
From the approved list of promotions, 116 assistant commandants of corps (ACC) got promoted to the rank of deputy commandant of corps (DCC), 362 chief superintendents of corps (CSC) were promoted to the rank of assistant commandant of corps (ACC).
Also promoted were 399 superintendents of corps (SC) to the rank of chief superintendent of corps (CSC) and 550 deputy superintendents of corps (DSC) to the rank of superintendent of corps.
Another 888 assistant superintendents of corps I (ASC I) are now deputy superintendents of corps (DSC), 1,191 assistant superintendents of corps II (ASC II) got promoted to the rank of assistant superintendent of corps (I) while 988 inspectors of corps II (IC II) were promoted to assistant superintendents of corps II (ASC II).
Furthermore, 516 personnel got upgraded/converted to the rank of assistant superintendent of corps II (ASC II) accordingly.
Also, the 2019 recruitment, which suffered delays as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic was concluded this year.
The successful candidates have done their documentation and training and they have since been incorporated into the system.
Charging the new officers, the Commandant General (CG) of NSCDC, Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, said, although the recruits will help boost the manpower needs of the outfit, more recruitment was needed to enable the corps achieve its mandates.
“I am delighted to state here that the 2019 recruitment, which suffered a lot of delays in the past as a result of some unforeseen circumstances, which included the COVID-19 pandemic, is about now being rounded off with the ongoing documentation for the successful candidates, which will culminate in the commencement of their training.
This development is an additional boost to the manpower needs of the corps even as we seek further assistance from government for the grant of waiver to recruit additional personnel to cope with our mandate and tackle the enormous security challenges in the country,” he said.
According to the corps’ helmsman, the promotion of officers and men of the corps was part of his administration’s quest to encourage hard work, promote the culture of merit and award excellence.
“As the man occupying the driver’s seat, I have resolved to ensure that deserving personnel, especially dedicated ones, are promoted accordingly, to increase their level of productivity,” Audi said.
He charged the officers to justify their promotion by contributing to the growth of the corps through hard work, renewed zeal, vigour, loyalty to service and patrotism to the nation.
Audi appreciated the former minister of interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who was also the chairman of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board, for his unwavering support for the NSCDC, which translated to improved staff welfare and motivation.
He also commended the secretary to the board, Aisha Rufai, for ensuring that due diligence was followed in the entire process.
The CG promised that the corps under his watch would continue to deliver on its mandate, in the interest of peace and progress of the country, adding that personnel welfare would continue to take centre stage in his administration’s programme for the corps, while training and manpower development would be intensified to drive the implementation of the NSCDC’s mandates.
Soon after the recruitment and promotion were concluded, allegations of discrimination, marginalisation, favouritism, lack of due process, lack of merit, injustice and lack of federal character principle filled the air. While some claimed that it was based on religion, others said the exercise smacked of regionalism and tribalism.
Speaking to Daily Sun on the promotion, a senior officer, who was also a beneficiary of the promotion, said, although many were successful in the promotion examination, a lot of things were considered.
According to him, if the successful officers were promoted, there would have been no vacancy for their office. Other considerations are the geographical locations and their states of origin.
When this reporter sought more clarification on the allegations, director of public relations for the NSCDC, Commandant Olusola Odumosu, rebuffed him.
Phone calls were not returned. All the text messages were not replied. And all the WhatsApp messages were ignored.