The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has announced a significant change in the criteria for promotions within the paramilitary services under the ministry. Personnel will no longer be promoted solely for passing promotion examinations.
The paramilitary services under the ministry, including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Federal Fire Service (FFS), and Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), will be affected by these changes. This announcement was made during the book presentation event held at the Corps headquarters in Abuja, where the Commandant General of the NSCDC, Dr. Ahmed Audi, and Prof. Tyoor Terhemba presented their works.
The Minister praised the academic achievements of the NSCDC Commandant General (CG) and emphasized the importance of upgrading knowledge to qualify for promotions. He stressed the need for investing in personnel’s education and highlighted that top security agencies worldwide, such as the FBI, MI6, and CIA, are typically staffed with alumni of prestigious institutions.
Tunji-Ojo emphasized that knowledge directly influences performance and declared that the era of promotion based solely on written exams is coming to an end. Instead, promotions will be determined by a comprehensive evaluation, considering factors like experience, practical excellence, theoretical knowledge, and the ability to provide solutions to emerging challenges.
The Minister further outlined the need for security to adapt to changing trends and occurrences and emphasized the importance of forecasting potential incidents as a key factor in maintaining security. He announced the establishment of a team called the Paramilitary Brain Trust (PBT) tasked with providing technical advice to the government through research and academic efforts.
In his remarks, the Minister commended the CG for his achievements and his leadership in addressing criminal elements in the country. The CG highlighted that several of the books presented were written by him and associates over the course of five years. These books covered topics related to insecurity in Nigeria, terrorism, peace, and conflict resolution, among other security-related subjects.
