The Coalition of Northern Youths Consultative Movement (CNYCM) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sack, suspend and investigate the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, over alleged hijack of recruitment and promotion in paramilitary agencies and alleged diversion of Immigration revenues.
The coalition, which says it represents 76 northern groups, made the demand in a statement issued in Kaduna on Monday.
The statement was signed by the National Coordinator, Dr. Bilal Galadima, and the Acting General Secretary, Barrister Zainab Gambo.
The group alleged that the minister interfered in the recruitment and promotion processes of the Nigeria Correctional Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Fire Service and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
It accused him of favouritism, monetisation and usurping the statutory powers of the boards of the agencies.
The coalition said it would not accept the release of any recruitment conducted by the minister through consultants.
“We reject in totality any recruitment conducted by the minister through consultants. The board must be allowed to do its job,” the group said.
According to CNYCM, recruitment, promotion and discipline of officers are statutory functions of the boards, not of the minister or his consultants.
It described any recruitment outside the boards as illegal, opaque and vulnerable to manipulation.
The group asked the president to nullify any consultant-driven process and direct the boards to conduct a fresh, transparent exercise based on merit and federal character.
It said recruitment into the four agencies had been delayed for nearly two years, allegedly to favour associates of the minister and to advance his reported governorship ambition.
The coalition noted that the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services and Federal Road Safety Corps had all conducted recruitment within the same period.
CNYCM further alleged that the process had been commercialised, with some applicants paying large sums to secure employment without proper security vetting.
The group warned that recruiting unvetted persons into sensitive security agencies could undermine the fight against insecurity and erode public confidence in the paramilitary system.
It also faulted the N7,500 drug test fee imposed on applicants, describing it as an added burden on unemployed youths. The ministry, it said, should provide testing facilities rather than shift the cost to applicants, many of whom borrowed money to travel to test centres.
On promotion, the coalition alleged that the Correctional Service had released the promotion list for Assistant Controllers-General in the professional cadre, but withheld the list for officers promoted from Controller to Assistant Controller-General in the general duty cadre.
It described the delay as discriminatory and demoralising, and demanded the immediate release of the outstanding list.
The group also called for a probe of consultants allegedly collecting Nigeria Immigration Service revenues.
It alleged that about six companies linked to the minister were collecting revenues running into billions of naira.
CNYCM described the alleged arrangement as a conflict of interest and abuse of office. It urged the president, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation to investigate the consultants, trace the funds and recover any diverted money.
The coalition listed seven demands, including the suspension and probe of the minister, a comprehensive audit of recruitments and promotions under the ministry, independent functioning of the boards, release of the outstanding promotion list and abolition of the N7,500 drug test fee.
It warned that inaction could provoke youth anger ahead of the next election and affect the president’s support among northern youths.
It insisted that paramilitary recruitment must be based on merit, federal character and transparency.
As at press time, efforts to get the reaction of the minister and the ministry were unsuccessful.