Group under the auspices of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum AYCF have accused the Nigeria custom service (NCS) over what they termed as one-step policy in the service despite the loud outcry by Nigerians.
The group made this known in a Press Statement signed by her National President, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, said the policy is an administrative abuse and injustice.
According to AYCF, they had appeal to Nigeria Customs Service on 27th February 2022, to reconsider its controversial plan to elevate certain group of officers who joined the service between 2009 and 2015 and leaving behind those who joined the service between 1992 and 1994, but the service has proceeded with the wiidely-condemned plan without any consideration.
Shetima expressed that if the plan continues, it may breed indiscipline, low-morale, low-productivity, feeling of rejection, alienation, work at cross-purposes, low esteem, sabotage, dichotomy and failure in meeting up with targets.
In their Statement, “The argument by the service, that the set of officers employed between 1992 and 1994 were employed as junior officers cannot stand. Most of them have improved their skill and capacity. You have among them PHD holders, Masters degree holders, graduates of multiple disciplines, members of different professional body, etc.
“At point of promotion/elevation, the statutory requirement is not the qualification at the point of entry rather qualification at the point of promotion/elevation. That is why public and civil service pay much attention, plan and spend heavily on capacity building, training, etc.
Consequently.”That this selective exclusion in the name of elevation plan should be cancelled immediately, so that everybody can now be carried along.
“The gap or vacuum created due to embargo on employment in the service between 1994 and 2009 was not caused by the older officers and they should not be made to suffer for it, like sacrificial lambs. Evidently, this group of officers has already suffered a lot in the service, in the form of delay in promotion (some stayed up to eight years in one rank), poor remunerations, etc
“That if this plan stands, it may breed indiscipline, low-morale, low-productivity, feeling of rejection, alienation, work at cross-purposes, low esteem, sabotage, dichotomy and failure in meeting up with targets, etc.
We still call on the relevant Federal Government agencies to swiftly move into action and ensure that the right thing is done and correct this anomaly.
They called on the presidency, the Secretary to Government of Federation, Head of Service of the Federation, the National Assembly, the Minister for Finance Budget and National Planning, the Federal Character Commission, among others, to do the needful so as to stop the national calamity and right all the wrongs.
