Speaking on the development, a former Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory, Lawrence Alobi, said lopsided promotion is not good for the image of the force.
The former commissioner said that such a primordial consideration in promotion kills discipline within the force.
According to him, “It is not supposed to be so, because as a Cadet Inspector, you have to be first confirmed as an inspector.
“For me, it is surprising that an Inspector should even overtake an ASP to become an ACP while the Cadet ASP is still a CSP. That is lopsidedness and it is not supposed to be so.
“Honestly, it is very demoralising, and it kills discipline too. What outstanding job did the person perform to have that kind of speedy promotion over a cadet ASP to other ACP rank?”
Alobi called on the PSC and the Inspector-General of Police to ensure that such anomaly is corrected in order to redeem the image of the institution.
“They should follow the due process, and when the process is followed, it will make people understand that they need to learn how to do the right thing,” he said.
‘Morale is gone in police’
Commenting on the development, a disgruntled police officer, who resigned last year, said unmerited promotions have dampened the morale of police officers and men in the country.
He said the situation if left unchecked, would worsen the deplorable situation of the police and by extension the security situation.
“It is not limited to the two you mentioned. They are plenty. They are there at the (force) headquarters. You have a two-star and then someone who was an Inspector would now become a DSP and you won’t get the DSP. He was just an Inspector. So how do you reconcile this kind of thing? That is what is going on.
“Security has been bastardised. Look at the case of Shugaba, when did he join the force? What was his rank before he became the ADC to Governor Yahaya Bello? I left the police because I felt that my future is bleak and I have to look for something else.
“Our own job is a regimented kind of job that you have to salute somebody. If you lost seniority, not by your own making; if it’s in the military you have to leave the job because you cannot salute your junior. That is the true situation of it,” he said.
To address the situation, he said the special promotion should be discarded and that all officers and men of the NPF should be subjected to promotion examination.
“So, when it comes to promotion, you have to go for the course and when you pass the exams you will be promoted and if you don’t pass you lost your seniority. So nobody should be given a promotion like that. That would boost personnel morale to read and to study and also to know the job very well so that one doesn’t stay behind,” he said.
