The Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr Ahmed Audi has described as unfair and great injustice for an officer to remain rooted on a rank without promotion for upward of 10.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday at the decoration of newly promoted Assistant Commandants General and Commandants of Corps who were recently promoted by the Federal Government, Audi lamented that some personnel of the Corps were not promoted in 13 years when his assumed leadership of the paramilitary but noted that he has been able to halt the ugly trend.
He said: “Before my coming on board, it is on record that stagnation which cuts across all ranks in the Service has dampened staff morale, heightened indiscipline and has also led to loss of confidence in the system, borne out of perceived injustice, and unregulated pattern of promotion.
“In addition, there were no set standards for measuring performance and career progression in the Corps. Therefore, I decided to take the bull by the horns to correct this anomaly by ensuring regular promotions to restore staff confidence and boost their morale at the lowest ebb.
“There was stagnation, some eight years, some 10 years, even 12 years and there is even one that spent 13 years as a Deputy Commandant. This is very very unfair. That is a great injustice and it is not that they have not been passing exams.”
Audi also said there were situations where juniors were placed ahead of seniors due to what he termed “some special CG lists”, which he cancelled immediately after he came on board.
He said: “Confronted by this challenge, I made a commitment to address the observed irregularities, especially in the promotion of officers and men as well as the issue of career progression and I can state with a sense of pride, responsibility and dignity that, I have kept to my promise. The recent promotion exercise which over 21,000 personnel benefitted is a true reflection of our commitment to matching words with action. The exercise was unprecedented in the history of the Service and a marked departure from past experiences.
He however assured that the end to stagnation in the Corps had come, saying he was committed to maintaining the same tempo to create a strong incentive, high morale and job satisfaction for staff.
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
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