“Mr President Sir, how will you honestly feel working for over ten years without promotion? The truth is that there has been no promotion in NDLEA since you came into office. The incompetence, impunity and administrative witch-hunt under Abdallah have risen to a level where an implosion is almost inevitable," the petition read.
For the umpteenth time, some staff of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have called for the sack of their Chairman, Muhammad Mustapha, accusing him of corruption, administrative recklessness and insensitivity.
Led by one Musa Ahmed Yusuf, the staff, under the auspices of 'Concerned Officers', addressed a petition to President Muhammadu Buhari, entitled ‘President Muhammadu Buhari, Sack Abdallah Now Before He Truncates your Political Ambition’.
According to the petition, the workers want the chairman prosecuted for various crimes he had committed, since his appointment into office about three years ago.
The aggrieved staff emphasised that Abdallah’s conduct was eroding public trust in the agency with pervading cases of drug and substance abuse in the country. They also alleged that some of them had not been promoted in the past 10 years.
The petiton read: “Mr President Sir, how will you honestly feel working for over ten years without promotion? The truth is that there has been no promotion in NDLEA since you came into office. The incompetence, impunity and administrative witch-hunt under Abdallah have risen to a level where an implosion is almost inevitable.
“After series of agitations by officers over the criminal neglect of their welfare and career stagnation, Abdallah in a circular dated April 3, 2018 with reference number NDLEA/ALS/ADM/100/V/90 admitted his failure and inaction. He also promised to correct his mistakes.
“In that circular titled ‘Issues Relating To Promotion,’ Abdallah stated that ‘I have carefully considered all the issues relating to irregular and delayed promotion in the agency and I am determined to put in place an enduring and sustainable promotion process and procedure. This is to enable the agency achieve the desired morale for optimal productivity by the personnel.’”
The petitioners stated that in the circular, Abdallah had promised to conclude the promotion of staff on grade level 03 to 06 by June 2018 and continue up the ladder, but the assurances never saw the light of the day.
The workers hinted that Abdallah thereafter constituted a committee, which presented recommendations in less than a week, yet none of the recommendations had been implemented by the management.
The 'Concerned Officers' appealed to Buhari to end the tenure of Abdallah, maintaining that allowing Abdallah in office a minute longer would be detrimental to the nation's anti-drug campaign.
They also pointed out that the recent establishment of the Presidential Committee on Drugs by Buhari was an indictment against Abdallah's poor performance and called on the president to immediately sack and prosecute Abdallah for his actions and inactions while in office.
“Drug barons are enjoying sweat-less economic boom under Abdallah. Major seizures of cocaine and heroin at the nation's seaports, airports and borders are now over because Abdallah will neither support nor fund investigations.
“Methamphetamine production is thriving at its peak in the country as the only laboratory discovered in 2016 during Abdallah was actually processed by his predecessor. A probe of Abdallah will open a reservoir of financial worms and leadership failures."
The aggrieved staff appealed to the president to immediately appoint a senior officer, preferably a retired General to replace Abdallah.