Intrigues, protest as immigration boss gets controversial tenure extension

Following expiration of his one-year tenure extension on April 24, 2023, it appears the retired Comptroller General (CG) of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Isah Idris, is retired but not tired, as he remains in office in a fresh elongation by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Recall that less than a month ago, precisely April 17, 2023, a memo from the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Services Board (CDFIPB), under the Federal Ministry of Interior, directed the CG to vacate his seat, on or before April 24, and hand over to the most senior officer in the agency.

The letter, titled ‘Notification of expiration of one-year extension of office as acting CG, NIS’ read: “I write to draw your attention to the end of one-year extension in office granted to you by Mr. President, via letter no. SH/COS/42/3/3/A128, dated April 22, 2022, and which will be expiring on April 24, 2023.

“Consequently, you are directed to hand over to the most senior Deputy CG, on or before Monday, April 22, 2023, pending Mr. President’s appointment of a substantive CG.”

However, in a dramatic turn of events, a statement from Public Relations Officer of the Service, Tony Akuneme, on April 28, 2023, said: “President Muhammad Buhari has approved extension of tenure for the CG, Isah Jere Idris, till the end of the current administration on May 29, 2023.

“The approval was contained in a letter signed by Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari. Mr. Jere has since resumed duties at the Service headquarters.”

But the extension appears to have sparked discontent, with former top-ranking officers of the Service and others condemning the development. A retired Deputy CG (name withheld), said: “The acting CG, Jere, will officially vacate office on May 29, 2023, arising from the fact that his tenure was further extended again, after its expiration in April, 2023.

“I will advice the Federal Government to urgently select and appoint, from the rank of Assistant CG, a very intelligent, articulate, responsible, astute and incorruptible officer, who deeply understands all conceivable perspectives of immigration statutory responsibilities.

“This will stop this nonsense of fraudulent extensions of service, which the Buhari regime has criminally utilised to keep kinsmen of the Hausa/Fulani hegemony perpetually in power.

“I also suggest that upon the official appointment of an acting CG as CG, all Deputy CGs, who are senior to the new CG, should be officially retired with immediate effect, to maintain administrative sanity and sanctity.”

On his part, the President, Journalists’ International Forum for Migration (JIFORM), Dr. Ajibola Abayomi Patrick, said: “It has almost become the culture of the current government of President Buhari to extend the tenure of serving officers, not just in Immigration.

“However, it should not be the norm. What I can say at this point is that, in as much as the President has power to extend the tenure of the CG, I am sure this won’t last beyond May 29 or few weeks after, because the incoming government of Bola Tinubu will automatically review the situation and appoint a new CG.

“In fact, my honest position is that in such circumstance, any officer due for retirement should proceed on terminal leave, six months before his or her due date, to avoid ‘sit back mentality’.”

Also, a former President of Crime Reporters, Mr. Christopher Oji, noted: “There is no doubt that the NIS needs total overhaul. This is becoming too embarrassing. Officers are not happy and are no more loyal to him or dedicated to the job. My advice to Jere is to honourably leave the office and proceed to retirement before he would be forced to leave dishonorably.

“Officers are planning a mother-of-all protests against his sit-tight…in the office. God has blessed him, having served meritoriously for 35 years, after which his tenure was extended. Let him not push his luck too far, so he won’t end in ignominy.”

Another retired Comptroller of Immigration, who pleaded anonymity, said: “It is condemnable. Officers who are still serving should fight against it. We are already outside. Officers who refuse to leave see themselves as tin gods, and it bad for the system.”