a Immigration Training School, Kano (ITSK), while Binti Attabor has been reposted from the service headquarters in Abuja to the Yobe State Command.
Catherine Bakura has been moved from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja to the Nigeria Immigration Training School Ahoada, Rivers State, while Blessing Alfred Udida has been moved from the FCT Command to the Akwa Ibom State Command. Finally Ockiya Eneni has been transferred from the CERPAC (Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card) Production facility to the Borno State Command.
The memo also outlines a secondary punitive measure, which is that the relocation will be done at the personal expense of the officers involved, and they have been given just 7 days to report at their new places of assignment.
A source confirmed to NewsWireNGR that the postings represent the outcome of the ‘investigation’ carried out into the alleged indiscipline of the officers in question, as well as an attempt to avoid the expected widespread backlash if they were dismissed or demoted.
The source also stated that while reassigning officers can be spun as a regular operational event in the service with no ulterior motives, it is clearly punitive in this case because from their entire class cohort, only the five officers concerned are being transferred.
In the light of the PR nightmare that the NIS has created out of what was not a particularly serious situation, NewsWireNGR spoke to a branding and publicity professional to get an expert view on things. Below are a few excerpts from the full chat with Azad Abdullahi, COO and Creative Director at 19fifty Media Ltd:
“The bottom line is that if they [NIS] had done nothing, they would have lost nothing. There was no backlash or negative connotation before they decided to take action, and one can only speculate as to the motives behind how they came about this final decision. […] I could not actually find [any] probably cause to take such actions against these women.
I think this is a lack of understanding that some brands have about how they relate with the public. Public perception and brand positioning-wise, they did not really have to do anything. Being more human does not take anything away from anyone but if culturally speaking, these are the limitations that we have built for ourselves or at least the older generation has set for themselves, then we end up with a situation like this one. […] I guess this will be less of an issue the younger those who make decisions in those organisations are.”
The full chat with Azad is available below:
