The leadership issues in the Nigeria Immigration Service took another turn on Friday as protesters laid siege to the NIS headquarters in Abuja. They demanded that the acting Comptroller-General, Isah Idris, should vacate office.
The protest came hours after it was revealed that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), granted Idris a one-month extension of tenure, to end on May 29, 2023. It also came 10 days after the governing board of the NIS served a retirement notice on the Acting CGI effective on or before April 24, 2023.
In a telephone interview with our correspondent Friday evening, the spokesperson for the NIS, Tony Akuneme, revealed that a letter signed by the President’s Chief of Staff, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, extended Idris’ tenure until the end of the Buhari regime.
However, the placard-wielding protesters from the Centre for Public Accountability and Immigration Stakeholders opposed Jere’s stay in office.
The Executive Director, CPAIS, Mr Olufemi Lawson, said, “We call on the attention of Nigerians, particularly Mr President, to the illegal occupation of the office of the CG by somebody who is supposed to be home by now enjoying his retirement.”
Lawson vowed to mobilise other stakeholders and youths against Isah’s extension of tenure, saying protests would hold for three days at the headquarters, the Ministry of Interior and the Presidential Villa.
An anonymous source told our correspondent, “We don’t even know what is going on. Everyone hopes for a smooth transition in leadership while keeping their heads low to stay out of trouble. There is annoyance in the air. In fact, some of the favourites of the CGI fear that any new person who takes over might sweep them away.”
