There are indications that the Federal Government has queried the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Martin Abeshi, over the alleged illegal recruitment of 300 workers into the service without approval. It was learnt that Abeshi was issued the memo by the Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.), following a report by The PUNCH on February 1, 2016 on the employment racketeering carried out by the top management of the immigration service and ministry officials. Our correspondent had reported exclusively that the slots for the 300 personnel were shared among the top management officials, adding that officers, who were on inspector cadre (levels 1-, were employed in December, 2015. The personnel were given various ranks, including Inspector, Assistant Inspector, Immigration Assistant and Chief Immigration Assistant. The NIS had, in its response, said over 200 personnel were engaged to ‘fill vacancies caused by deaths and retirements of some officers,’ adding that it had yet to conduct recruitment of new staff into the service. The NIS Public Relations Officer, Ekpedeme King, in a statement, admitted that the service carried out what he called replacement of dead and retired officers. Sources informed our correspondent on Sunday that the NIS boss was asked to explain why he breached government directive on recruitment. The source added, “Following the report in The PUNCH about the illegal recruitment, the Interior minister issued a query to the CG, Immigration. Though the top management of the ministry was also involved in the employment racket, the minister feigned ignorance and asked Abeshi to explain the secret recruitment into the service.” It was further learnt that some top NIS officials had been undermining Abeshi by hoisting Customs’ flags on their official cars, in apparent but subtle disrespect to the NIS boss. According to military tradition, only the NIS boss could hoist the service flag on his car while other senior officers would fold theirs unless when visiting a formation under them. “All the DCGs (deputy CGs) have been hoisting the flags on their cars in what is considered a disrespect to the CG. Their grouse is that Abeshi should have retired by December, 2015 but he is still in office and the government is not saying anything about it. He is over 60 years and he has spent over 35 years in service, so the DCGs are hoisting their flags, contrary to the service tradition,” the source told our correspondent. The NIS Public Relations Officer, Ekpedeme King, said he was not sure that the CG was issued a query. “I don’t think so. If he was issued a query, he would have shown it to me,” he said over the telephone. The Press Secretary to the minister, Osaigbovo Ehisienmen, said he would check the files and get back to our correspondent, but when contacted again, he said, “I have no authority to check the minister’s files; I don’t think there was anything like that (query).”

www.punchng.com/fg-queries-immigration-cg-over-alleged-illegal-recruitment/

loopsided recruitment.

Wayo wayo everywhere!!!