Barely three months into his tenure as the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service (CGI), Mr. David Paradang is facing the heat over the fate of 27 Assistant Comptrollers-General (CGs) yet to be promoted to the rank of Deputy Comptroller-General (DCG) two months after they wrote their promotion exams.
LEADERSHIP checks revealed that the 27 ACGs, who wrote the promotion exam after the compulsory retirement of five DCGs sequel to Paradang’s appointment, have expressed fear that the decision to delay the release of the results was a ploy by the Civil Defence, Immmmigration, Prisions and Fire Service Board (CIPFB) to favour desperate personnel who are willing to go the extra mile to bribe them.
The board is in charge of promotion, recruitment and punishment of para-military agencies under the Ministry of Interior.
A source at the Immigration Service, who pleaded not to be named, told LEADERSHIP that the result of successful ACGs in the exams was delayed following the board’s discovery of past rot attributed to most of those aspiring for to be picked for the managerial task.
He disclosed that one of those allegedly listed for the deputy comptroller general position is fingered to have benefited from previous promotion racketeering that rocked the service in 2006.
He also hinted that aggrieved mates of his, who felt marginalised after his rise, have threatened to resign en masse if he gets elevated to higher management position.
LEADERSHIP gathered that some ACGs who are hell-bent on attaining the height of DGCs that they had even gone the extra mile to take N50 million bank loans each to bribe their way, while others are relying on their contacts in and around the ministry.
Defending the allegation, a source, close to the minister of interior, who pleaded anonymity for fear of being marginalised, said the minister had been working tirelessly to ensure that only qualified officers were picked as DCGs, and gave assurance that the names of the successful candidates would be released within the week or latest next week.
“The minister and the board members are just trying to be careful not to clear wrong people as DCGs” he said. “He has been working tirelessly to ensure fairness in the matter.”
Source: Leadership
