The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has promoted 13,977 senior and junior officers in a historic exercise, marking a significant milestone in the service’s efforts to eradicate career stagnation.

The comptroller general, NIS, Kemi Nandap, said this during the decoration ceremony of 15 newly promoted Assistant Comptrollers-General [ACGs] and 95 Comptrollers of Immigration Service (CIS) promoted personnel on Friday in Abuja.

Ms Nandap acknowledged their hard work, dedication, and commitment to serving the nation and congratulated them and other personnel across ranks on their well-deserved promotions.

She said the recently concluded 2024 promotion exercise stood as a testament to these efforts, marking a historic moment in the annals of the NIS.  

Ms Nandap also said the ceremony reflected the service’s ongoing commitment to career progression and institutional growth that would intentionally eradicate career stagnation within the service.

She added that stagnation had become a thing of the past in the immigration service.

“A total of 13,977 personnel were promoted, encompassing 6,697 officers rising from Assistant Superintendent of Immigration II (ASI2) to Assistant Comptroller General (ACG).

“Also included are 7,280 personnel advancing from Immigration Assistant II (IA2) to Inspector of Immigration (II).

“This mass promotion, unprecedented in scope and impact, sends a powerful message about our commitment to rewarding excellence, fostering growth, and building a service that is not only motivated but also equipped to meet the demands of a modern and complex world,” she said.

Speaking, the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) secretary, Ja’afaru Ahmed, congratulated the newly promoted officers and the NIS CG for the great feat.

“I think if I’ll put it on record, I stand to be corrected; there has never been a time in the history of the NIS that this number of officers have been promoted,” he said.

Mr Ahmed acknowledged that the NIS stagnation issue had been addressed through the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who also doubled as the board chairman.

“If we may recall, this service and the officers of this service have suffered stagnation and a lack of vacancies; some have stayed for ten, nine, seven, or eight years without promotions,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of promoted officers, Bosede Olayemisi commended the management of the service for the promotion.

(NAN)