Corruption, impunity, nepotism, and high handedness which allegedly envelop the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) are a mere tip of the iceberg of the rot in the Interior Ministry, with its other three parastatals equally swamped by similar claims.
Minister of Interior, Abba Moro
TheNiche published on August 17 the story on the sham in the NPS involving allegations of corruption, favouritism, certificate forgery, extortion of inmates, and officers feeling bruised for being bypassed for promotion.
Complaints have been pouring in from some of the victims since the publication.
Sleaze across the board
The grouse, however, spreads to other parastatals under the Interior Ministry, such as the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Fire Service, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
A source said the sleaze and the injustice are far worse in Immigration, where a fight between Interior Minister, Abba Moro, and former Comptroller General of Immigration, Rose Uzoma, over staff recruitment led to her ouster in January 2013.
Uzoma reportedly had a face off with Moro over his alleged penchant for staffing Immigration with people from his Idoma ethnic nationality in Benue State.
“The woman had complained to those close to her that the powers that be were literarily forcing her to engage a lot of people from a particular ethnic nationality in the Immigration Service, shortly before she was shown the way out”, said the source, who did not want his name in print.
The departure of Uzoma became a major loss to heads of all the parastatals in the Interior Ministry.
Prior to that time, controllers general were empowered to recruit staff on Grade Levels one to seven. After that fight, the right was withdrawn and handed over to the board and the head of service of the federation.
Alleged ethnic favouritism by Moro
Although the Fire Service, NSCDC, Immigration, and NPS are under the control of a board which is responsible for the appointment and promotion of staff, the role of the board has been allegedly eroded by corruption and meddling from higher quarters.
“The corruption in the board is responsible for these promotion scams. If you attend an interview without following it up at the board, you are sure to lose out despite your score in the promotion exam,” alleged another source from the Fire Service.
“The board is headed by a director/secretary and is answerable to the minister of the interior who is the chairman. But since Abba Moro became the Minister, corruption and nepotism have climbed the wall.
“As with recruitment, after every promotion exam, the minister takes the list, goes home, and inserts the names of his family members and friends at the expense of other candidates.
“When he finishes, he sends the names to the board to release it, and the board will add its own. That is why, in the latest promotion, you saw some names in capital letters and others in small letters.”
The source alleged that Moro has turned the agencies into a personal fiefdom. “As in employment where the minister has turned the place into his house, he makes sure that all Idoma people are employed or promoted above every other group before he releases the lists.
“As in the Immigration exercise that led to the loss of lives, he had already shared the appointments before going to the stadiums to do that charade that cost the lives of Nigerians.
“The level of corruption and nepotism in the board has led to this displeasure arising from the promotion of juniors over their seniors.
“Go to the Ministry of Interior and you will think you are in an Idoma village. This is the result of so many middle aged Idoma villagers employed by Moro and dumped in the ministry doing nothing, at the expense of younger and able-bodied Nigerians looking for work.
“In fact, Abba Moro has destroyed the paramilitary services in the Interior Ministry through corruption and nepotism. What is manifesting in the Prisons is a product of his destructive and stagnant leadership in the ministry.
“His style did not go down well with many directors in the board and permanent secretaries in the ministry. But he appears to have the power to remove them. He has removed up to four directors and permanent secretaries who opposed him. He must be very powerful then.”
Alleged influence of David Mark
The source did not spare Senate President, David Mark, who is an Idoma like Moro.
Mark, TheNiche was told, alledgely provides Moro backing.
His words: “With this kind of leadership, no one can stop the corruption in the Prisons. It is not as if President Goodluck Jonathan is not aware of the antics of Moro which have led so many people to distrusting Jonathan.
“We are aware that the Secret Service chaps have severally reported Moro but the consensus is that David Mark is shielding him.
“Each time Jonathan wants to remove Moro, Mark will represent him. Meaning that Mark is allegedly benefitting from the alleged corrupt regime of Moro.
“But the net effect of these acts is that many Nigerians do not believe that Jonathan is transforming anything if he allows Moro to destroy the paramilitary services and the Ministry of Interior.
“Leading to the question, who is David Mark? And on whose side is he? Is he running with Jonathan or against him? On one side, he gives the face of a democrat but by supporting Abba Moro, he works against everything this administration is doing.
“Much of the corruption in the ministry has come to the peak under Moro, and this is what is reverberating not only in the Prisons but also in all the other paramilitary services. You can go in and interview people in these services.”
NPS explains promotion criteria
But NPS Public Relations Officer, Ope Fatinikun, a Deputy Controller of Prisons, denied all the allegations, maintaining that nobody can gain undeserved promotion as everyone waits for his turn.
“In 1995, for example, my mates were promoted to the next rank and I was not. But because every year promotion comes, I went for the 1996 promotion and I was promoted,” he disclosed.
Asked if in 1995 he got angry that his mates were promoted above him, he said, “oh yes, normally, of course. To be sincere with you, we were six from my state, Lagos, who joined the service together. In 1995 five of them were promoted. I was the only one dropped.
“Yes, I was angry but you see, another opportunity was given to me in 1996 and I was promoted. Along the line, some of them were dropped and I remained.
“That is how promotion is. There are a lot of things you have to pass through before you can be promoted. Let me give you an example on our own rank. Let me start from ASP (assistant superintendent of prisons).
“First, you must attend a course for six months. That will take you to ASP 1, which is two-star, to DSP (deputy superintendent). From DSP, you go to another course, DSP development course, for three months.
“You must not only pass. There is this thing in this law, you must not only pass but pass well. You may score 80 per cent but don’t pass. That is how exam is. It does not matter. You may score 80 per cent and somebody else scores 90 per cent.
“I am just giving an example, I’m not saying that is what always obtains. Before that 90 per cent they may have got a number of people.
“Along the line, some people may be asked to go for that course. May be they didn’t complete it before they came out and they want to be promoted along with others. So it is not possible for you to sit with them in that promotion exam.
“After you have passed through that, then you have to pass through the board which decides the cut off mark. This time, it is not the Prisons Service. It is called the Civil Defence, Immigration and Prisons Board. So they determine the pass mark for those who are to be promoted.”
Asked to explain the criteria used by the board to promote people above their superiors, Fatinikun said: “It is not true. It is not possible. In our case, please could you give me an example of some my rank or below my rank who are promoted above me.
“It is not possible. It is easier for me to argue. Somebody below me now is an ACP. Can you promote an ACP to controller? It is not possible. Let the person making this allegation bring the evidence.”
Presidential powers
Fatinikun was reminded that the Prisons authorities have warned those affected by the injustice not to complain or else they would be punished.
He explained: “You must have spent a certain number of years in a rank before you move to the next rank, and nobody will promote you above the next rank. Only the president has that power. It is not possible for any other fellow to do that.
“The president, after recommendation that this guy has performed gallantly, can promote him above his seniors. Only the president has that power, not any of us. The board does not have that power.
“Since I joined the service 25 years ago, I have never seen such a thing. Let those complaining come forward with their proof.
“They didn’t ask anybody not to complain. I will show you something (brings out a sheet of paper from his drawer). This is one who complained. He wrote a letter and it is being looked into.
“Nobody gave an order that you should not complain when you feel cheated. You have a right to complain. But usually, you must fulfil certain conditions. May be the person complaining never sat for the exam probably because he didn’t meet the requirements.”
NPS justifies alleged 170 controllers
Fatinikun also justified the alleged number of 170 controllers in the NPS, saying it deserves whatever number of staff it has, as approved by a regulatory body.
He did not disclose the actual number of controllers but said they are in charge of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), zonal offices, and 240 prisons nationwide.
Those promoted as controllers must have merited it as none would have served for not less than 28 years, he argued.
Mark denies involvement
A source close to Mark queried why he should be brought into a matter outside his purview.
He said though Mark recommended Moro for appointment as Minister, he reports to President Goodluck Jonathan as a member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) while Mark supervises the federal legislature.
He reiterated that a presidential panel has been set up to probe the Interior Ministry following the botched immigration employment process in March this year and that it behoves Jonathan to ask for the report “instead of people blackmailing Mark for no just cause.”
Moro denies allegations
Moro’s Press Secretary, George Udoh, said there is no truth in the allegation that his boss perpetrates corruption and nepotism
“We challenge anybody making these allegations to come forward with the fact to substantiate them. Nobody can prove that the minister has ever influenced recruitment into any of the agencies under this ministry let alone that he recruited his own people into service.
“There is no way the minister can circumvent the rules guiding promotions in the agencies. The rules are laid down and nobody can bend them to either favour some persons or victimise others,” Udoh insisted.