There is pervading disquiet and uneasy calm among officers and rank and file of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) over the continuous stay in office of Ja’afaru Ahmed as the Controller-General of the Service, one year after the extension of his tenure.

Recall that Ahmed was billed to retire on July 21, 2019, after a four-year tenure of office, but his appointment was renewed by President Muhammadu Buhari who was said to have been impressed by his impressive track records.

Many officials of the NCS were of the opinion that the most honourable thing for Ahmed to do is to leave office without being coerced to do so, more than one year after the tenure extension by the president.

Sources at the Service, who spoke with PeesReporters on condition of anonymity, said it was not a thing of honour for the Controller-General to have chosen to remain in office, one day after July 21, 2020, the expiration date of the one-year extension of his tenure.

A particular source said gloom and despondency have taken over in NCS as the expectation was that Ahmed would have, without being promoted, pulled out of service to allow for others to grow in their career.

“The continued stay in office of Ja’afaru Ahmed as the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service is appalling and illegal, after having served out both his four-year tenure and the one year extension by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“He has spent a total of five years as the head of the correctional service. He was supposed to pull out of Service on July 21, 2020, but nothing of such is happening, even today, July 29, 2020.
“It is now more than one week after the expiration of his tenure extension by Mr President. His continued stay in office is demoralising to those under him who are looking forward to career progression in the Service.

“The failure of Ahmed to do the right thing by pulling out as the Controller-General negates all the tenets of the hallmark of the Service, as epitomised by career progression.

“There is no justification for him to continue in whatsoever capacity. There is no morality in his continued stay in office as the Controller-General. This is the time for him to take a bow,” one of the sources said.

President Buhari had on July 21, 2019, vide a letter signed the Director (Press and Public Relations), Ministry of Interior
Mohammed Manga, extended the tenure of Ja’afaru Ahmed as the Controller-General of the NCS and promoted 10 others in the Service.

According to the letter, the president approved the extension of tenure of office of Ahmed by one (1) calendar year with effect from 21 July, 2019.

The extension, Nigerians were told, was informed ny his track record of innovative reforms in the Prisons Service and the need to consolidate and complete some of the then on-going programmes.

Specific mentions were made of human rights compliance, reformation and health care, agricultural and education programmes for the inmates.

Source - Peesreporters.com