The Federal Government has announced plans to begin screening and examinations for senior officers in the nation’s paramilitary services to address current vacancies at top management levels.
Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Chairman of the Civil Defence, Corrections, Fire, and Immigration Service Board and Minister of Interior, made this announcement during a media briefing following the board’s meeting in Abuja on Thursday.
Tunji-Ojo revealed that senior management vacancies exist across the four paramilitary agencies: the Federal Fire Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigerian Correctional Service, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. To address these gaps, he said officers below the ranks of Deputy Controllers and Assistant Controllers will be considered for promotion to these positions in the coming month.
“Most of our services currently lack Deputy Controller-Generals, and even where they exist, the numbers are insufficient. In line with the federal character principle, these positions must be filled. One of the key decisions made at our meeting was to ensure these roles are filled immediately, including the position of Assistant Controller-General,” he said.
Represented by Engineer Jaji Abdulganiyu, the Controller-General of the Federal Fire Service, Tunji-Ojo emphasized that a thorough screening process will be followed by examinations to select qualified officers for these important roles.
The minister highlighted the importance of these positions in improving service efficiency and management, noting that some agencies currently have officers performing these roles without formal appointments, which hinders effective governance.
“The board has decided to begin this process on Monday, March 9, with officer accreditation for the exercise. The accreditation will run from March 9 to March 11. We expect to conclude the process by the end of March,” he said, adding that the exercise will target the positions of Deputy Controller-General and Assistant Controller-General across the four services.
Tunji-Ojo also mentioned that discussions on the official handbook for the board are ongoing, with an approval process in progress. Once finalized, the handbook will be distributed to all services and made available to the public.
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