How Falz’s intervention halted posting of immigration officers sanctioned over #BopDaddyChallenge
The five female officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service sanctioned for participating in the viral Bop Daddy Challenge may have gotten a respite after singer Folarin Falana aka Falz intervened in their probe for the second time.
Neusroom had reported in April that the officers – Priscilla Irabor, Catherine Bakura, Blessing Udida, Binti Attabor, and Ockiya Eneni faced dismissal after their #BopDaddyChallenge video went viral on social media. The service accused them of ‘Immoral Behaviour’, ‘Sabotage’, and ‘Any other act unbecoming of a public officer’ for joining the challenge initiated by Falz in their uniforms.
Earlier this week, they were posted to Borno, Yobe, Kano and other states far from their duty posts and mandated to report to their new duty posts within seven days “at no cost to the service”.
News of their transfer sparked outrage on social media as many Nigerians called for the reversal. Falz, for the second time, also wrote to the Comptroller-General of the NIS, Muhammed Babandede, calling for the reconsideration of the decision to post the officers.
In his letter shared on his Twitter page, he described the posting as ‘punitive’, and based his call on the public service rules.
“The Public Service Rules which guide the operations of the Immigration Service state that any senior officer seeking to be posted or transferred must submit an application for such transfer listing his or her reasons for desiring such transfer,” Falz, a trained lawyer and son of human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) wrote.
“The Public Service Rules also state that ‘Officers on posting, transfer or assumption of duty on new appointment at their new station, other than their city/town of domicile, shall be entitled to transport for self…in addition, they shall be eligible for hotel accommodation for the first 28 days or an allowance for the next 28 days in lieu of hotel accommodation.”
The singer added that had the posting been in order, the seven-day time frame accorded the officers would have been an impossible one as inter-state travel is currently prohibited.
In its reaction, the NIS in a thread of tweets said the posting has been put on hold pending the conclusion of investigation.
NIS tweeted: “It is important to note that staff deployment remains a vital practice of regimented organisations such as ours and should be seen as such. As an agency, we maintain zero tolerance to any matters bordering on offences against discipline among members of our workforce irrespective of gender.
“The matter involving the Personnel in question is still being investigated and therefore, the Comptroller General has directed that the earlier Posting Order be put on hold pending the conclusion of the investigation.”
