Image
June 7, 2023
the officers had decried the high level of injustice in the promotion exercise recently carried out by the NDLEA.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Wednesday confirmed that some officers of the anti-narcotics agency have been stagnated on one rank for 15 to 20 Years.
SaharaReporters had reported that some aggrieved officers of the NDLEA lamented over the alleged injustice, maltreatment and lopsided promotion under the administration of Brig Gen Buba Marwa (retd).
The officers, in an article sent to SaharaReporters, had decried how the NDLEA leadership failed to promote some of its officers who are due, without giving them any reason.
Also speaking, the officers had decried the high level of injustice in the promotion exercise recently carried out by the NDLEA.
According to the statement, the NDLEA surprisingly failed to comply with the Harmonised Terms and Condition of Services which were promulgated and regulates a "smooth and well-deserved promotion exercise as and when due among the other rank cadres.”
The aggrieved officers of the NDLEA had called on the President, Bola Tinubu, to look into their matter.
The officers who are known as NA2011, which showed that they were employed as Narcotic Agents (level 5) in 2011, expressed their anger over the way the agency was treating them after 12 years of service.
However, the Director, Media and Advocacy, of the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi on Wednesday in a statement, noted that elevation of officers and men remained an ongoing exercise based on a number of factors including vacancy.
He explained that anyone not yet affected could rest assured that the Chairman considered their welfare paramount and central to the successes so far achieved by his leadership.
According to the statement Babafemi said the agency will continue to pay attention to their career progression in the interest of the overall high productivity goal set for all Commands and formations of the Agency.
The statement reads in part; "The attention of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has been drawn to some online reports suggesting lopsided promotion of personnel. The Agency wishes to state that no such thing exists as elevation of officers and men remains an ongoing exercise based on a number of factors including vacancy.
"Indeed, the issues raised by the category of personnel mentioned in the reports arose in 2011, which was 10 clear years before the current leadership of Brig. Gen. MB Marwa (Retd).
"However, in a determined bid to motivate the workforce, over 70% of the workforce, a number of who had been stagnated on one rank for 15-20 years, were promoted and their ranks harmonized in 2021 soon after Gen. Marwa assumed leadership of the Agency.
"Even though more than half of the category of personnel referred to in the reports had been promoted in the recent promotion exercises, the ongoing expansion of the Agency which creates more vacancies for officers and men to move up, no doubt provides the window for the few not yet affected to be elevated in another exercise underway for the junior ranks.”
"Anyone not yet affected can rest assured that the Chairman/CEO considers their welfare paramount and central to the successes so far achieved by his leadership and will continue to pay attention to their career progression in the interest of the overall high productivity goal set for all Commands and formations of the Agency," Babafemi added.