The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has announced that the ministry is dedicated to enhancing the advancement of workers, emphasizing that this will now be an annual tradition.
Appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, the minister disclosed that the ministry conducted a promotion exercise last year in which no fees were required for promotion.
He highlighted that the ministry has promoted over 32,000 officers from various agencies such as the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Nigeria Fire Service, the Nigerian Correctional Service, the Nigeria Immigration Service, and other departments within the interior ministry.
Tunji-Ojo emphasized that the failure to promote deserving workers had led to corruption within the system, with many resorting to paying bribes to secure promotion.
He said, “When we came on board, we realised that we used to have this national promotion, like people being promoted maybe in 2024, and it takes effect from 2023. So, when we looked at the record since the board’s inception, responsible for promotion, recruitment, and discipline, which was in 1986, never had we had a promotion exercise for that particular year completed within that year.
“And last year I tell you for the first time we broke that jinx, to the glory of God, people were promoted. And not just that people were promoted, I tell you that so many people, when we came on board, were on the same grade, they were stagnated in their careers, for like six, seven, some eight, some even nine years, but last year, we cleared the backlog of promotion, and in one day about 32,000 officers were promoted across all our agencies.”
Asked if the promotion exercise will be done every year, Tunji-Ojo said, “Definitely, I will tell you that we have already started the process for 2024 and we are hoping by the grace of God by October, we should be done with the promotion of 2024.
“Let’s call a spade a spade, if it is your own private company, will you demotivate workers of your own company that you know you need them to be at their best to be able to take you to that level?
“So, we believe that it is not a privilege for an officer who is qualified, who has passed the exam and met all the criteria to be promoted.”
The Interior Minister emphasized that the administration led by Bola Tinubu is committed to ensuring that workers are incentivized to maintain their dedication to their duties.
He revealed that President Tinubu has sanctioned life insurance for all officers after discovering that they previously lacked such coverage.
Upon assuming office, there were no provisions for rent or specific allowances for ministry officers. However, as of January this year, every officer has been receiving their rent and security allowances following the President’s approval.
Regarding allegations of fraudulent recruitment within the ministry, the minister clarified that no recruitment has occurred since he assumed office, except for the Fire Service, which he assures has been conducted transparently.
He pledged to Nigerians that under his leadership, recruitment processes will be transparent and open to all citizens, ensuring equal access for participation.