Above The Law

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The Deputy Comptroller-General (DCG), Directorate of Passport and Other Travel Documents of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mrs Modupe Anyalechi is still performing her official duties a year after attaining the mandatory 35 years in service . It was gathered that Anyalechi joined the service on January 5, 1988, and she clocked 60 on 17th of May, 2022.Rule 020411 of the Nigerian government Public Service Rules provides that: “Retired officers may only be re-engaged into career posts on grade levels immediately below that on which they retired

It was however learnt that the Deputy Controller General has been using her close links with a top shot in the Ministry of Interior to elongate her stay in the office.

Top sources informed disclosed that Anyalechi has been doing everything within her capacity to manipulate the extant laws and regulations to remain in office.

“There is grumbling again in the Nigeria Immigration Service over the alleged illegal extension of the tenure of the Deputy Comptroller General (DCG), Directorate of Passport and Other Travel Documents, Mrs Modupe Anyalechi.

“DCG Anyalechi attained her retirement age on May 17, 2022, having joined the immigration service on April 5, 1988, with her birth record of April 17, 1962, is still in service eleven months after.

“We learnt that her tenure was illegally extended for six months from May 2022, to November 2022, despite the 2022 uproar within the Ministry about her retirement. Unfortunately, the DCG is still in service and alleged that there is a plot to keep her in service till June 2023.

“We know that Rule 020411 of the Federal Government Public Service Rules allows that retired officers may be re-engaged into career posts, but on grade levels immediately below that which they retired; but Mrs Modupe still wears the DCG emblem as against the law.

“She is now on an illegal extension after the legal extension (without a formal letter) expired last year in November. She’s leveraging her links within the authorities of the Ministry of Interior, to stay in service.”

The move is against the civil service rules, which states that those in the public service must disengage from service either after attaining 60 years of age or having worked for 35 years, whichever comes first.

It is also against a circular from the office of the Head of Service to all agencies of the Nigerian Government which says, “For avoidance of doubt and in order to maintain discipline and integrity of the extant public service rule which prescribed 60 years of age or 35 years of service for mandatory retirement, should strictly be complied with.

“Accordingly, the following guidelines shall apply. (I) that career officers who take up tenured appointment should at the point of taking up the appointment retire from service to ensure they run their term uninterrupted.

“(II) that career officers who have not retired from service before the commencement of their tenured appointment must leave office on attainment of mandatory age/years of service for retirement and

“(iii) that career officers who are currently holding tenured appointment are required to retire from service with immediate effect and continue to run their term. Failure to do so would mean that they would vacate office on attaining the mandatory age or at the expiration of their term whichever comes first.”

Multiple calls put across to Anyalechi were ignored.