Months after the Nigeria Customs Service Board promoted 3,466 officers, allegations of irregularities and lopsidedness have continued to haunt the exercise, with some senior officers claiming that those in the lower cadre were elevated and made their superiors within a fortnight.
The NCS explanation that the decision was borne out of necessity did little to assuage the aggrieved officers, thus prompting them to reach out to PUNCH Investigations.
However, beyond the NCS saga, TESSY IGOMU reports that such accusations appeared not alien to Nigeria’s paramilitary agencies, as the Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigeria Immigration Service and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, seemed caught in the same web.
The voice of the aggrieved customs officer on the other end of the line, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was a mixture of anger, despondency and concern.
He claimed to feel cheated and demanded justice not only for himself but for others, whom he said became dispirited after being allegedly treated unfairly by the Nigeria Customs Service.
The officer had deep-rooted fears that crises might erupt, especially among those working in enforcement units and at the borders, and feared that it might lead to anarchy if urgent steps were not taken by the Minister of Finance, Comptroller-General of Customs, National Assembly and human rights groups to quickly remedy the alleged anomaly.
During the call, our correspondent was able to convince the caller to arrange for a physical meeting. He initially declined but later communicated with a meeting venue verbally through a dispatch rider.
At the agreed time, our correspondent arrived at the discreet location and was ushered into a waiting area where eight crestfallen NCS officers sat.
An atmosphere of frustration and sadness pervaded the place as two of them that appeared to be the mouthpiece of the others, took turns to narrate their ordeal.
Having been earlier instructed by the dispatch rider not to bring along a phone or any electronic gadget, our correspondent went with just a jotter and pen and was immediately handed an unsigned statement that summarised the officers’ complaints and actions itemised for implementation.
Unsettling promotion
In April 2022, the spokesperson for the NCS, Timi Bomadi, announced the promotion of 3,466 general duty and support staff officers as approved by the NCS Board. He said the promotion became effective from January 1, 2021.
Bomadi explained that the approval was given on Tuesday, March 29, during the board’s 54th Regular Meeting, presided over by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, who also doubled as the Chairman of the board, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed.
However, dust stirred up by the promotion has refused to settle down and PUNCH Investigations gathered that disenchantments among some older officers have continued to grow.
The aggrieved personnel hinged their anger on allegations of marginalisation and favouritism and lamented that their dedication and service to the country for about three decades seemed to have amounted to a total waste of productive energy and time.
An atmosphere of frustration and sadness pervaded the place as two of them that appeared to be the mouthpiece of the others, took turns to narrate their ordeal.
Having been earlier instructed by the dispatch rider not to bring along a phone or any electronic gadget, our correspondent went with just a jotter and pen and was immediately handed an unsigned statement that summarised the officers’ complaints and actions itemised for implementation.
Unsettling promotion
In April 2022, the spokesperson for the NCS, Timi Bomadi, announced the promotion of 3,466 general duty and support staff officers as approved by the NCS Board. He said the promotion became effective from January 1, 2021.
Bomadi explained that the approval was given on Tuesday, March 29, during the board’s 54th Regular Meeting, presided over by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, who also doubled as the Chairman of the board, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed.
However, dust stirred up by the promotion has refused to settle down and PUNCH Investigations gathered that disenchantments among some older officers have continued to grow.
The aggrieved personnel hinged their anger on allegations of marginalisation and favouritism and lamented that their dedication and service to the country for about three decades seemed to have amounted to a total waste of productive energy and time.
