Why immigration boss was axed – Investigation

Controller-General, Nigerian Immigration Service, Mrs. Rose Uzoma

The directive asking the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mrs. Rose Uzoma to proceed on her pre-retirement accumulated leave was a direct order from President Goodluck Jonathan, an investigation has shown.

Findings indicated that the Presidency decided to axe Uzoma for getting it involved in the recruitment scandal that rocked the NIS a few weeks ago.

The Federal Government had on Tuesday directed the CGI to proceed on her pre-retirement accumulated leave and asked her to hand over the duties and responsibilities of her office on or January 16, 2013 to the most senior Deputy Comptroller-General of Immigration, Rilwan Musa, who will act as Comptroller-General of Immigration pending the appointment of a substantive CGI.

A statement by the Secretary, Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Service Board, Dr. R. Attahiru, in Abuja, stated that President Jonathan had approved Uzoma’s terminal leave.

Uzoma, whose tenure ends in March 2013 when she will attain the mandatory retirement age of 60 years, was to have been allowed to leave office gracefully at the end of March, but the President was said to have been furious over media reports that implicated the Presidency in the job racketeering in the immigration service.

The recruitment scandal blew open when a House of Representatives committee probed the CGI for carrying out a recruitment exercise without advertising it in the media as was the practice.

The CGI was reported to have obtained approval from the Head of Service of the Federation to employ 4,560 people to the NIS out of which she allegedly offered slots to top functionaries.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, has set up a six-man committee to probe the recently retired Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mrs. Rose Uzoma, over the alleged recruitment scandal.

The minister stated that the committee was to investigate how Uzoma ran the service with the intention to correct all abnormalities.

President Goodluck Jonathan had on Tuesday ordered the CGI to proceed on pre-retirement accumulated leave over the said controversial recruitment.

The committee chaired by the Director, Paramilitary, Mr. Keftin Amuga, has Dr. Attahiru Kawu as deputy chairman.

Members include Alhaji Kurfi Ibrahim, Babandede Mohammed, Mr. E. S. A. Ojo and a representative of the State Security Service.

Inaugurating the committee on Thursday night in Abuja, the minister said he had received some petitions and appeals from some officers of the service on the issues of fraud, injustice and tribal sentiments in the conduct of a promotion exercise in the service.

“There were other serious allegations ranging from certificate forgery and non-adherence to the principle of seniority in the determining officers eligible for promotion, these are all serious allegations that cannot be ignored,” the minister stated.

Among other things, the committee’s terms of reference include the verification of allegation of secret recruitment, appointments for sale and investigation of allegation of superannuation, nepotism and adoption of primordial sentiments in the promotion of officers within the service.