By JOSHUA ODEYEMI

The Ministry of Interior has withdrawn the ranking and career progression disparity between Higher National Diploma (HND) and Degree holders in the four paramilitary outfits (Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigerian Correctional Service and Federal Fire Service) in the ministry.

This was disclosed in a memo referenced CDCFIB/1001/vol1/110, dated October 16 and signed by the secretary of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB), Alhassan Yakmut.

The memo was issued at the end of a meeting of the Board held between September 24 and 25, 2020.

It stated that all candidates recruited by the Board with HND will be placed as Assistant Superintendent II CONPASS 08 level and can rise to the highest position in their respective services without discriminatory ceiling or hindrance.

In the memo obtained by Daily Trust, the memo directed that all Inspectorate ranks from Senior Inspector to Chief Inspector I are abolished, noting that all these officers would be converted to appropriate superintendent ranks.

“The Board has withdrawn the ranking and career progression disparity between Degree and HND holders.

“Consequently, all candidates recruited by the Board with HND will be placed at Assistant Superintendent II, CONPAS 08 level and can rise to the highest position in their respective Services without discriminatory ceiling or hinderance.

“All Inspectorate ranks from Senior Inspector to Chief Inspector I (T), are abolished and all officers on these ranks will be converted to appropriate Superintendent ranks,” the memo stated in part.

With this, all ranks in the Services are henceforth aligned with that of the Nigeria Police, the memo stated, adding that new ranking system and badges of rank would be introduced soon.

Besides, to maintain the level of seniority of officers and ensure discipline, the memo said; “individual’s level of Conversion and effective date will be worked out by the Board and the Services and will be communicated in due course.”

The Board said it was consulting with relevant government agencies on how best to go about the alignment of salaries of personnel with the Nigeria Police structure.

The Board also said, henceforth, promotion of officers shall be based strictly on their individual productivity, successful attendance of mandatory courses and exams and good annual assessment of their performance.

Recall that the Board, in 2017 under the chairmanship of the then Minister of Interior, Lt Gen. (Rtd) Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau, had approved the regularization of the dichotomy between holders of university degrees and HND in all the Services.

The decision of the Board was conveyed in a statement by Abubakar Magaji, then Permanent Secretary of the Ministry on July 13, 2017.

Also, in March 2018, Head of Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita, issued a circular directing all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies to remove the dichotomy between HND and BSc holders. (Text, excluding headline, courtesy Daily Trust)

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