Federal Fire Service: Group backs CG’s tenure elongation, slams online platform over alledged fake reports

Coalition of Civil Societies have thrown their weight behind the 18 months extension of tenure of the Comptroller General (CG), Federal Fire Service, Alhaji Ibrahim Liman by President Muhammadu Buhari.

They also described the report making the rounds and published by Sahara Reporters that the Comptroller General having spent 44 years in public service, refuse to retire as fake news.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja, the Coordinator of the coalition, Yinka Sotade said the CG’s extension of tenure is likely to be connected to his outstanding performance.

He said “Globally, in every area and sector of life and economy, result-oriented leaderships are needed, identified, applauded, encouraged and given the opportunity to advance the good work.

“We then suspect that the tenure extension may not be unconnected to the great strides achieved by the service under the current leadership.

“It is imperative to cast the minds of Nigerians to some Federal appointments which were occasioned by a track record of good performances, like Mr. Raji Fashola, former Governor of Lagos State who was appointed as Minister for Power, Works and Housing on the account of his great achievements in Lagos State, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina who was appointed Minister of Agriculture under President Goodluck Jonathan and was later nominated and supported to be the President, African Development Bank by President Buhari on the accounts of his outstanding achievements in the agriculture sector, as well as the current boss, Federal Road Safety Corps were also extended on the accounts of their great performances.

“Perhaps, it is important to inform that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria grants the President express powers to consider and approve the extension of tenure to any public officer on grounds that include but are not limited to good performances.

“It is however important to state categorically clear especially with the current paucity of dedicated leadership that “wherever loyalty and hard work is not rewarded, then disloyalty and failed leadership should not be penalized”.

The group however slammed Sahara Reporters for not conducting a thorough investigation on the matter before publication.

“We express our displeasure and grave disappointment at the unethical, unfounded, and fake news published by Sahara Reporters concerning the Controller General (CG) Federal Fire Service, Dr. Ibrahim Liman Alhaji.

“It is even more worrisome, the manner in which Sahara Reporters have thrown professional ethics to the winds, refused to conduct a thorough investigation into the accusation that the extension of the Controller’s tenure by 18 months which was recently granted by President Muhammadu Buhari is criminally intended to keep the current Controller in office to raise funds for what Sahara Reporters alluded as a Senatorial ticket at the 2023 general election”.

As against Sahara Reporters publication on the CG’s 44 years in office, the group said, it conducted an investigation and discovered that “Dr. Ibrahim Liman Alhaji who was born in 1960, joined the Federal Fire Service at age 26 years in 1986. The civil service rules and financial procedures only permit every civil servant to serve for a maximum of 35 years after which he/she is retired.

“This mathematically means that any federal civil servant who was employed in 1986 like the CG is expected to serve till December 2021, except for other grounds like health challenges, dismissal, compulsory retirement, or death. The above clarification suffices to inform Sahara Reporters and the entire public for which this piece of fake news is intended to misinform. The Controller General of the Federal Fire Service is expected to retire as of December 2021”.

According to the Coalition, the extension of Alhaji Liman’s tenure by 18 months makes his new date of retirement as the Controller General (CG) Federal Fire Service shift from December 2021(Regular exit date) to June 2022 (extended exit date).

They further urged the Nigerian media professionals to abide by the ethics journalistic profession in the discharge of their duties.