BY Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor

With the confirmation of  the appointment of Mr. Kure Martins Abeshi as the substantive Comptroller-General  (CG) of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) by President Muhammadu Buhari, last Thursday, a fierce competition has begun among top officials of the NIS to  succeed  the incumbent who retires in the next three months. Abeshi, whose service record indicates that he was born in 1955 in Nasarawa State, quits  in November, paving the way for a new CG.

The contest now brewing in the para-military agency basically involves the seven Deputy Comptrollers-General and no fewer than 22 Assistant Comptrollers-General as well as many controllers of NIS, who believe that they are  qualified to serve in that capacity.

Sunday  Vanguard investigation reveals that The Presidency might have asked the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Services Board, CDFIPB, which supervises the NIS, to begin the search for a qualified CG from among the top officials.

Findings indicated that   the board has already directed the 22 Assistant Controllers-General and Controllers of Immigration to forward their curriculum vitae with immediate effect to it.

Findings also showed that out of the seven DCGs, no fewer than four were due for retirement between January and October next year based on their records of service while three others have between one and three years to go.

The DCGs  include Mohammed Babandede, whose record showed  that he was born in 1963; Ifeadi Emmanuel Udochukwu, 1956; Malgwi Henry Yasika, 1958; Olaitan Joseph;  Adike Chibueze John,Ibrahim Abba, one  Gbenga and Abiodun Towanu.

Going by the service records, it is only Babandede, who has the highest number of years to stay in the service while the rest have between one and two years.

Babandede may stand a better chance than others since he is said to have been for many years exposed to foreign missions and attached to other MDAs outside the NIS.

But given that there are many DCGs  in the NIS, it is not clear why the board has asked the 22 assistant comptrollers and controllers to forward their bio data to it with immediate effect.

Competent sources said that the board might have widened its search to include the assistant controllers in case adverse security reports affect the DCGs, whose records are already before The Presidency.

It would be recalled that when former President Goodluck Jonathan wanted to appoint a substantive CG for the NIS, he requested for and obtained reports on all the DCGs.

Besides, their performance in the NIS promotion examination was  taken into consideration by The Presidency in arriving at the decision to elevate them.

Competent  security sources told  Sunday  Vanguard that although most of the DCGs failed the promotion test and had very negative recommendations  standing against them; they were all the same elevated. For instance, a popular DCG, who is one of the leading contestants for the top job, was described as ‘unsuitable and questionable’ by those who assessed him for elevation.

Similarly another DCG, who was simple described as ‘not suitable because of being diligent in duty but ‘tribalistic” by favouring personnel from his religious group, was also recommended and approved for appointment by the President for reasons not made clear.

However, one of them, who was described by assessors as ‘incorruptible, hardworking and accommodating, was inexplicably rejected by the promotion board but was countered and approved for the post. However, only a few of the DCGs had very favourable security reports.

Two of them from the South-South had  good  recommendation: “The candidate is honest, hardworking and principled,” one of the reports, said.

The Presidency had however waved aside the tribalism allegation levelled against two of the DCGs and confirmed them, arguing that the accusation was not substantiated.

But as the race for the CG’s post hots up, there were allegations last night that one of the candidates was being bankrolled by a top telecoms provider from the South West while a former Interior Minister was backing one of the major candidates from the North.

But of the many contestants, the odds, according to NIS sources, favoured Babandede, Ibrahim Abba, Abiodun Hundeyin and Musa Maza, who is said to be related to an influential member of the NIS board.

It is not clear who among the many would finally clinch the top job, but lobbyists from the northern and southern parts of Nigeria  have intensified their efforts  to get one of their own to take the beat from the retiring CG.

However, there are fears that President Muhammadu Buhari may spring a surprise like he did with the Customs last week by appointing an external candidate.