HUSH TONES, ILL FEELINGS, AS OFFICERS OF THE 1994/95 SETS SAY THEY ARE BEING OPPRESSED & MARGINALIZED IN THE CUSTOMS
There is currently a heightened ill-feeling among the customs workforce over the ‘marginalization’ of certain cadres of officers in the scheme of things, especially in the recent redeployment of Area controllers nationwide.
In what some of them termed as ‘oppressive treatment’, the 1994/95 sets of officers who were recruited first as sports men and women, but subsequently had their entry regularised are claiming that they are still treated as ‘second class citizens’ in the government agency.
They pointed to the fact that the 2009 sets of officers who are far junior to them are highly favoured by the current management, insisting that having been converted and had their training in Kano Training college, it amounts to injustice to be so alienated in the distribution of positions as currently is the case.
Up until now, most of the 1994/95 sets have grown through the ranks, working in almost all the relevant departments of the service, acquiring higher degrees, but are yet ‘not considered as part of the system’
Most of the 2009 sets who were junior, judging from their enlistment dates have now climbed in ranks up and above the 1994/95 sets, a development which has been causing ill-feelings among the rank and file.
‘We grew through the ranks; we were already commissioned officers when the 2009 sets got enlisted, but today, we (the 1994/95 sets) are now junior to them’, some of them regretted.
Some of them who were angered by the development said in view of the frustration, they can still be better of if they decide to get out of the service today, stressing that not considering any of their squad mates as acting controller (s) was a big injustice.
They pointed out that they have made a lot of sacrifice in the more than 32 years of their enlistment into the agency, while recalling that they have lost more than 15 of their squad mates in the line of duty.
‘Did they die as sports officers, did some of us suffer several bullet wounds as sports officers during several enforcement operations, one of them queried.
They pointed out that they were labeled as ‘dual officers’ during those hey days of their recruitment and that they lived up to the billing. Most of them therefore, requested the Comptroller General, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, PhD, MFR, to hasten up and correct the imbalance in the promotion and redeployment of officers of the 1994/95 set.
It is on record that the officers completed their 9-month training course as well as subjected to a 3-month refresher course, and therefore, as qualified to be elevated, redeployed to any higher office that exists in the service.
While justifying its enlistment into the service as sports men, the 1994/95 sets carted away so many awards in sports competitions, especially in the June 20th-June 24th, 1995 Kano state Higher Institutions Games Association (KASHIGA) which was intended to foster healthy competition among different institutions in the state.
The principal game in the fiesta included athletics, table tennis,langa, lawn tennis, football, Handball and volleyball. The Customs college took part in all the sports and represented the service creditably.
The competition commenced with an opening football match between customs Training college and School of Nursing, who were thrashed 2 goals to nil.
The college Commandant then, Compt L.K Tairu was on hand to cheer his trainees, as his presence served as a stimulant for the players.
In the athletics, the College dominated almost all the events, both in sprints, (track and field). lawn tennis, popularly known as the gentleman’s game, was competed for by the college team and succeeded in carting away four gold medals, out of the available five medals.
In handball, the college won bronze medal.
May the Nigeria Customs Service not forget her heroes past.