MEET FRANK OSHANUGOR
By Frank Oshanugor
Officers of the Nigerian Security & Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) employed with Higher National Diploma (HND) in 2010 but placed inappropriately have appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, National Assembly and the Ministry of Interior to regularize their positions to save them from what they described as retrogression in their performance, mental stability and their psyche.
According to an open appeal letter circulated to the media by the concerned officers (names with-held), the 2010 recruitment in NSCDC was the first and legitimate recruitment that was made after it was published in the national dailies. Every other graduate enlistment in 2012, 2016 and 2019 were replacement. They further pointed out that in the publication of the 2010 recruitment, it was stated that HND with three (3) years post qualification should be placed on Grade Level 8. Regrettably, both Bachelor degree and HND holders were placed on Grade Level 7.
They added that proper placement came in 2011 when degree holders and some HND Accounting and Engineering graduates were upgraded to level 8 while HND holders in other disciplines were still on Grade Level 7. In 2017 during the promotion examination they claimed that those of them (HND officers) recruited in 2010 were still on Senior Inspector of Corps(SIC) Grade level 8.
A communication was said to later emanate from NSCDC National Headquarters by the then Commandant of Servicom who addressed the concerned officers at the venue stating that they should not write the promotion examination as proper placement would be given to them. According to the officers, “We the HND 2010 under this category left the venue of the examination based on this information.” Regrettably, the promise was never implemented till date. The officers noted that when the 2017 promotion examination result was released, they observed that their mates of 2010 (B.Sc. Accounting & Engineering disciplines) were moved to grade level 10 while those of them in the majority were still on grade level 8 as at 2017.
The group has therefore called on the authorities to look into what they have called “injustice and lack of career progression melted out on NSCDC personnel of HND recruitment 2010 with NYSC certification of more than two (2) decades be addressed. They noted that as if the injustice was not enough, their mates currently on Grade Level 11 would be going to GL. 12 by virtue of the next promotion exam coming up later in the year.
In their words, “it is demoralizing to see your junior ahead of you, 2012 officers are on grade level 11, 2016 officers are on grade level 10 while 2019 officers are on grade level 9. Not only that, officers on CAIII Grade level 3 the lowest rank in the Corps who went to school under our nose in the name of part-time which is good, were not only converted to senior rank but promoted and now on grade level 9. “We, the group of HND recruitment 2010 have been marginalized, demoralized, frustrated and relegated to the background therefore battling with High Blood (BP) Pressure as a result of lack of career progression.”
They further stated that even the incumbent Commandant General of the Corp. upon assumption of office promised to effect proper placement, since he personally noted that the 2010 HND officers were the most cheated. Yet, nothing has been done, they concluded.
It would be recalled that in 2018, the federal government enforced the removal of the HND/BSC dichotomy and this was implemented by other sister para-military agencies. The government had stated that “All HND graduates should align themselves automatically with their BSC counterparts. This was only carried out for HND recruitment 2012 across all discipline while HND recruitment 2010 was not effected leaving officers in this category hanging, deprived, devastated and pained.
The group has therefore pleaded with President Tinubu to quickly intervene in their matter in the spirit of his “Renewed Hope” mantra as they believe that “hope of change has come to address this injustice that has been melted out to HND 2010 Officers in NSCDC.
We are appealing for proper placement of all HND 2010 officers that will reflect true rank of our service years.
This will bring all officers at par in rank with other officers in other sister Agencies,” they declared.
