Wole Balogun, Ado-Ekiti
Some aggrieved officials of the Nigerian immigration Service (NIS) have sent a Save-Our-Soul message to the Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS), Mohammed Babandede, the Public Complaints Commission, Head of Service of the Federation, Minister of Interior and several other relevant bodies to express their displeasure at the service having denied them promotion for several years.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Honourable, Commissioner, Public Complaints Commission, (PCC) Comptroller General, (NIS), and other relevant bodies, and made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti at the weekend, the officers, who pleaded anonymity, alleged that while many junior officials who met them in the NIS, and with whom they have same or higher academic qualifications, have all been promoted ahead of them several times to become their seniors; while they have remained behind in promotion despite having served in the NIS and the country meritoriously.
The senior officers said that noteworthy is the fact that there is a recent promotion released in 2019 affecting particularly the Rivers State Command of NIS, and other parts of the country, where their fears have been confirmed as many of them on seniority list were not promoted. They claimed further that the development occurs in several commands of NIS across the federation.
They urged the Comptroller General, Babandede, PCC and other bodies to probe their allegation with a view to getting justice for them. Some of them who claimed to have served for 25, 30 and 34 years without deserving promotions, decried alleged favoritism, nepotism and tribalism as criteria for promotion of officers in the Rivers Command of the NIS rather than merit and dedication to work.
The letter reads in part:
” …while, we humbly and respectfully appreciate the Board Director/Secretary for the ongoing transformation and most importantly rekindling the hope of the helpless and disenchanted officers in the regimental organisation where seniority is supposed to be well and judiciously guided….we look forward to the proper placement of the those of us affected.
“We have a situation where our junior officers whom we are five ranks ahead of, with same HND as qualification, now are our senior by way of continuous promotion,” they claimed.