Help! HND holders in NSCDC decry disparity in career progression

Some personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) who are Higher National Diploma (HND) holders have decried the disparity between them and their university degree holders colleagues.

The complainants under the aegis of Concerned HND Holders in NSCDC, therefore, urged the Federal Government to right the wrong.

They lamented that the discrimination had led to ill-treatment and a lack of career progression in the corps. The affected personnel hinted that the disparity in the scheme of service had dampened their morale in the service.

Recently, the Federal Government removed the dichotomy between degree and HND holders in NSCDC, Fire Immigration, and Prison Services.

The aggrieved NSCDC specifically alleged that the 2012 HND holders’ intakes were being discriminated against compared to their mates in other sister agencies in the same Ministry of Interior.

The group in its petition obtained by our correspondent said that: “HND holders were recruited into the NSCDC in the year 2012 as  Inspector of Corps rank (Grade Level 07). The same year, on the same process, NCE holders were placed on GL 07 and BSc holders on GL 08.

“This was based on the conditions of service at that time, which was a bad indicator of suppressing some set of people instead of encouraging competency and proactiveness between HND holders and BSc, as is found in other sister agencies for effective service delivery because of how sensitive security responsibility is.

“We wrote the Confirmation and Promotion examination in the year 2014, with the BSc counterparts, being the statutory year to be confirmed, according to Public Service Rules.

“The BSc holders were advanced, but rather, in our case, we were not advanced neither properly placed nor promoted after passing the COMPRO exam, contrary to extant regulations.”

The group urged President Bola Tinubu, the Senate President, and all concerned to look into their matter and restore them to the right rank which reflects their years of service.