Defence corps members protest board's action
By Joe Idika
MEMBERS of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have petitioned President Olusegun Obasanjo and the National Assembly over alleged arbitrary enlistment, demotion and repositioning of officers by the Immigration and Prison Service Board.
They urged Obasanjo to wade into the matter because it contravenes Section 26 (5) of the (NSCDC) Act 2003. The law states that the officers "shall retain their ranks and positions as in the dissolved corps."
Prior to July 2003 when the NSCDC Act was passed, the corps comprised of volunteer officers since 1967. But with the coming of the Act, the corps was placed under the Immigration and Prisons Services Board in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The petitioners told the President that the strength of the corps had been trimmed to 12,510 from 35,000 while salaries had not been paid since January, this year.
In the petition endorsed by over 500 members in Lagos, they alleged that the ministry had altered corps members' names compiled by the respective state commands and their positions, adding that those who were not part of the initial volunteer corps had been included.
They said in Lagos State Command, of the 559 officers retained, only three were the initial members of corps while others were alien to any of the commands in the federation."
Besides, they claimed that the board in contravention of Section 26 of the Act demoted commandants to as low as superintendents while the "alien" officers were given superior positions in the command.
In Lagos State, a law graduate of over 13 years experience was demoted to superintendent and in his place was place an alien with less qualification as his superior.
"These anomalies affect principally founders and administrators of the organisation before the Act was passed and who should be expecting pensions for their labour based on their previous ranks", they said.
The petitioners, therefore, appealed to Obasanjo to call the board to order so that officers either demoted or dropped from the corps would be rewarded, even if it is in the form of pension since an amount had been released by the government to pay them based on their previous ranks.
In a memo to the NSCDC by the board, it said that some officers were dropped due to old age while others were demoted for non-possession of qualifications.
But the protesting corps members said that academic qualification was not a the prerequisites when they joined and rose to the ranks but by their ability on the field. They however, urged the board to give the affected officers time to qualify, resign or retire in their ranks and positions.
Members of the corps have the power to arrest, investigate and hand over to the police for further investigation and prosecution of any person involved in any criminal activity.
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