Junior officers protest as NCoS makes new uniform mandatory for promotion exam

• Published On: 27 June 2024 at 19:56

The Nigerian Correctional Service's younger officers are currently dissatisfied with the authorities' reluctance to supply them with the service's new uniform at no cost, as they did for their senior colleagues.

The affected officers have also expressed concern over the authorities' intention to make wearing the new uniform a requirement for them to participate in a promotion examination scheduled between Monday, July 1, 2024, and Saturday, July 6, 2024.

Some of the impacted troops who spoke with NIGERIANWATCH on Thursday highlighted that in uniformed organisations, the rank and file receive uniforms for free, "but the phase-out is reversed in NCoS."

One of the officers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, stated, "The NCoS updated its uniform in 2019, and the old uniform has been gradually phased out since then. It began with the Controller-General freeing the Chief Superintendents of Corrections, as planned, and ended there.

"They are now forcing other officers to purchase the uniform on the open market, despite the fact that adequate funds were set aside for free distribution of the uniform and other accoutrements.

"They are now using the upcoming promotion interview to activate this enforcement."

Another aggrieved officer simply stated, "They always wait until the promotion interview time to implement such draconian policies."

"The aforementioned uniform is not being distributed for free, as promised. It is not accessible at any of our command stores countrywide. Officers are resorting to self-help by purchasing on the open market. "This is bad."

Another officer observed that the service personnel wear four distinct uniforms, bemoaning that a uniform in the market costs N4,000 per trouser length, and we utilise three trouser lengths for one complete uniform. So, we need at least N12,000 to purchase the supplies for one entire set of uniforms."

He claimed that certain people obtained components for the new uniforms "from the central store and gave them out to others to sell for them."

Our reporter obtained a circular dated June 24, 2024, announcing the timetable for the third batch of 2024 promotion examinations for officers in the positions of Inspector/Superintendent to Assistant Controller of Corrections.

The circular, GEN.24/S.21/T2/VOL.IV/632, was signed by Dr. Ado Sale, Assistant Controller-General of Corrections (HR).

Aside from the usual requirements for officers eligible to participate in the promotion examination, the circular stated in paragraph 7 that "Eligible officers must appear in the new NCoS uniforms."

When reached by our correspondent, NCoS spokesman Abubakar Umar stated, "The true position of the Service is that from Level 7 (junior officers) downwards, they are not only given free uniforms but also accoutrements and jungle boots, while senior officers buy their uniforms."

Umar further stated that the Controller-General of the NCoS "never asked anyone to go to the open market to buy uniforms." As long as it's available, it'll be distributed," adding that the supply of the new uniforms, which were introduced in 2022, is "still ongoing given the quantity of people we have. "So it's being shared in stages."

He stated that everyone would receive the clothes, and that the Service frowns on any officer who goes to the markets to purchase uniforms, as such officers face sanctions.

When questioned if officers who show up for promotion exams and accreditation without wearing the new uniforms will be permitted to participate, the NCoS official stated, "I'm not aware of that stringent measure put in place." I can't comment on it.

"Before this, they (officers) knew that uniforms were distributed according to rank, down the hierarchy. It will be a form of mischief for someone to imply that because the screening and promotion examinations are approaching, they are now utilising it as cheap publicity and not recognising the Controller-General's efforts."

Former President Muhammadu Buhari's administration changed the name of the Nigerian Prisons Service in 2022 after enacting the NCoS Act of 2019.

During the inauguration of the Information and Communications Technology command and control rooms, as well as the unveiling of new uniforms for NCoS staff, former Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola stated that the new uniforms represented "the transition from a punitive prison system to a reformatory corrections system that is now the philosophy of the service."