Mohammed Shosanya
Customs officers employed between 1989 and 1994 have expressed discontent over an alleged discriminatory promotional exercise in the Nigeria Customs Service.
They implored President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Acting Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Services,Adewale Adeniyi to tame the practice there with a view to enabling them earn their promotion duly.
They said those who engaged in the services between 1989 and 1994 have been at a standstill, without any promotion, while the newly promoted ones have enjoyed accelerated promotions.
They conveyed their displeasure in a document made available to Premium News by their lawyer,Chief Chukwuma Ekomari,SAN
“We humbly request to consider redressing the injustice meted out to older officers’ sequel to directives communicated vithe letter NCSB/ABJ/AP&D/94/S.I/VOLV/19 dated 29 March 2022. This is connected with the implemented discriminatory special promotions given with backdated notional effects to newer officers recruited as graduates starting from 2009.
“These special promotions were reportedly approved by the Nigeria Customs Service Board (NCSB) consequent to Management’s presentation of the recommendations of its Generation Gap Committee.”,the document reads in part.
They alleged that the management of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) recently announced its Board’s approval of a proposal to institute yet another special promotion scheme designated competency-based accelerated career progression plan (CBACP).
This was made public by its National Public Relations Officer (PRO) Abdullahi Maiwada, a Chief Superintendent of customs in a press release reference NCS/PR/SP/S.582/003/23/VOL. 1 OF 19th May 2023,they said.
They added:”The same PRO was quoted in an online punch Newspaper report of 2 June 2023, by Anozie Egole to have said that the NCS Board had approved the plan to close the Generation Gap that could lead to a vacuum in the NCS higher hierarchies if not addressed. Find attached the Press Release of 19th May, 2023 with the approved memo on CBACP”.
They also alleged that the Customs Service is now faced with the problem of coping with the passive resistance to teamwork created by a class conflict between the segregated customs officers and the favoured customs officers.
They appealed that they were either upgraded or converted into the officer corps based on the competency-based accelerated career progression plan (CBACP)
“For a regimented service like the NCS sudden loss of seniority by an entire generation of older officers to their juniors is absurd”,they said in the document.