The 2012 Higher National Diploma, HND, recruits in the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, are using this medium to urge President Bola Tinubu, the Senate President, Speaker, House of Representatives, Head of Service and all well-meaning Nigerians to investigate the issue of disparities in the NSCDC.
One of the recruits who prefer anonymity narrated their nasty experience and agony.
He narrated: We wrote the Confirmation and Promotion, COMPRO, exam in 2014, the statutory year to be confirmed according to Public Service Rules, however, we were not advanced, properly placed or promoted after passing the COMPRO. Fast forward to 2016, there was a replacement exercise and all officers then recruited as Assistant Superintendent of Corps II (ASCII) were all given an automatic promotion to the next rank while all HND holders recruited in 2012 remained at Inspector level, (level seven).
What is more, HND holders who have been recruited since 2012 held the position of Inspectors until 2018, when NSCDC implemented the removal of HND/BSC dichotomy, which was implemented in other paramilitary agencies under the Ministry of Interior in 2016 (two years earlier).
The majority of our counterparts recruited in 2012 with a Bsc are now hanging the rank of Superintendent (level 11) while up to 95% of us, HND holders, are still hanging one star ASCII (level eight) in 2023. After being denied promotion exams for many years, the year 2022 made it the fourth consecutive year that we wrote a promotion examination without any tangible result.
For instance, all other categories of personnel that came into the system with SSCE, NCE and Trade Test Certificates have been writing promotion exams as and when due except the holders of HND Certificates.
Also, some junior officers recruited in 2012 with CAIII (the least rank) and later got themselves enrolled in part-time degree programme were not only converted to the senior rank but also got promoted to two-star ASCII (level nine), thereby placing them above us that were recruited with HND certificates in the same year.
Since we were nominally enlisted into NSCDC on April 16, 2012 (11 years down the line), the majority of us don’t know how a promotion letter looks. Even with the so-called 2016 advancement, till now, there is no letter issued to that effect.
We, therefore, plead for justice as security personnel. We call on the Nigerian Government to come to our aid because we are dying. We can no longer meet family demands and our job efficiency is declining.
We shall be very grateful if this is expeditiously considered.
Source: Vanguard
