Over one thousand officers recruited into the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in 2010 have called for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s speedy intervention over delayed promotion which they tagged career stagnancy and abandonment.
Over one thousand corps enlisted as Bsc holders into NSCDC since 2010 as one-star officers (Assistant Superintendent II), some were under-rank but properly placed as one-star officers (Assistant Superintendent II) in 2011 also demanded intervention of the Senate President, Senator Godswill Apkabio; the House of Representatives Speaker, Hon. Abass Tajudeen, among others, lamenting that they had been denied promotions for 13 years till date.
The NSCDC staff across the country, who tagged themselves as 2010 Peculiar Group, some of who spoke on condition of anonymity, lamented that stagnation in their promotion had dampened their morales, and brought depression, distrust, anger, lack of dedication and motivation to work in the corps.
The group noted that the most humiliating aspect is that their juniors enlisted in 2012 have been advanced and promoted to Deputy Superintendent of Corps (DSC ) and Superintendent of Corps (SC) while most of them enlisted in 2010 are still ASC 1, stagnated and abandoned till date, saying that this development made their juniors automatically their seniors for no fault on their path.
“We embraced the opportunity to serve our fatherland thirteen years ago with passion, determination, and commitment to play our individual roles in advancing the fortunes of our dear country Nigeria. But thirteen years after, we are now faced with frustration, humiliation and depression. The question begging for an answer from whom it may concern is, what is our offence? Are we, not Nigerians too like others? What have we done that deserves this stagnation and depression?
“We joined The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps as degree holders in 2010, some of us were Enlisted as ASC ll (08) while some others were enlisted with other lower ranks but a verification exercise and subsequent proper placement process, properly placed all degree holders Enlisted in 2010 to ASC ll effective September 5 2011.
“We all wrote our COMPRO examination as ASC ll in 2012 and passed when the results came out in 2013 but the sad situation is that while all of us were advanced by the Board in 2013 based on our success at the COMPRO examination in 2012, some of our names were removed when the advancement list emanated from our National Headquarters, this eventually led to our abandonment and stagnation,” they said.
“Based on the frustration, humiliation and likely depression that we are experiencing, we appeal to Mr President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu; the Senate President, the Speaker, House of Representatives; the Head of Service and all well-meaning Nigerians to look into our issue in Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps 2010 Bsc intake over stagnation and abandonment for thirteen years till date in active service,” they demanded.
According to them, the major defense always put up by then Commandant General(NSCDC) has been non-availability of vacancies for promotion but wondered how come juniors were being promoted ahead of their seniors, saying that such showed that something was wrong somewhere.
Speaking further, the 2010 Peculiar Group, stressed that their juniors 2012/2016 intakes were now their seniors on Level 11 (Supt), pleading with the government to see to it that the corrections were made with proper placement.
This was just as the group wondered that despite several appeals made to the then Minister of Interior who’s in charge of all paramilitary agencies, Board of CDIFB and the NSCDC National headquarters to correct this anomaly, nothing has been done.
The group maintained that they were not asking for too much but only to be placed on their proper ranks as Superintendent of Corps (SC) on Level 11 and promoted when due on merit and on a batch basis.
They pleaded with President Tinubu and relevant authorities to call their organisation, NSCDC and the CDIFB Board “to order over the unprofessional act against the public service rule which states that a senior is not supposed to be on a particular rank for more than three years before being promoted which they said has likewise defeated the beauty of regimentation since a junior cannot give orders to his senior or receive compliments from him.”
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