The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) criticized alleged unequal promotion inside the organization on Wednesday.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Director, Media and Advocacy, of the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi in Abuja.
Babafemi said that elevation of officers and men remains an ongoing exercise based on a number of factors including vacancy.
“The attention of the NDLEA has been drawn to some online reports suggesting lopsided promotion of personnel.
“The agency wishes to state that no such thing exists as elevation of officers and men remains an ongoing exercise based on a number of factors including vacancy.
“Indeed, the issues raised by the category of personnel mentioned in the reports arose in 2011, which was 10 clear years before the current leadership of retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, “he said.
According tom him, however, in a determined bid to motivate the workforce, over 70 per cent of the workforce, a number of who had been stagnated on one rank for 15 to 20 years, were promoted and their ranks harmonised in 2021 soon after Marwa assumed leadership of the Agency.
“Even though more than half of the category of personnel referred to in the reports had been promoted in the recent promotion exercises,
“The ongoing expansion of the agency which creates more vacancies for officers and men to move up, no doubt provides the window for the few not yet affected to be elevated in another exercise underway for the junior ranks.
“Anyone not yet affected can rest assured that the NDLEA Chairman considers their welfare paramount and central to the successes so far achieved by his Leadership, “he said.
Babafemi said the agency would continue to pay attention to the career progression of officers and men in the interest of the overall high productivity goal set for all commands and formations of the agency, “he said.
DLEA is a federal government agency saddled with the task of eradicating drugs abuse, illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substance within the country.
The headquarters of the agency is in Abuja but the agency has offices and commands in all the states of the federation.
According to its 2019 Condition of Service document, NDLEA personnel on Compass 03-06 are eligible for promotion within the minimum period of two years, while those on compass 07-14 are eligible for promotion within a minimum of three years, and so on.