Finally, FG Retires Ex- Immigration Boss, Parrandang

By Senator Iroegbu in Abuja

Strong indications have emerged that the federal government has finally retired the 13th Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), David Parradang, thereby putting to an end the more than one year of confusion over his fate.

The information reaching THISDAY from credible sources at that weekend was that the suspension had been lifted and his retirement formalised by the federal government.

According to the source, Parradang’s retirement was formalised last month but was kept from the public due to its sensitivity.

The source said: “The thing came out about a month ago and because of the mood of the country, it was kept out of the public.

“The circumstances that led to his suspension, reason given and the manner with which they went about it was wrong but that’s not the issue now. The letter had claimed he carried out illegal recruitment and this has been discovered to be false and that his hands are clean.

“As you can see, the recruitment was done at the presidential level and he has been vindicated as those recruited in the last exercise are being recalled.”

Parradang was placed on suspension since last year over allegations bordering on the last recruitment exercise into the immigration service, which was sanction by former President Goodluck Jonathan as one of the measures taken to correct the ill-fated 2014 aptitude test when some lives were lost.

Following his suspension, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Martin Abeshi and later Muhammad Babandede, meaning that Nigeria had two substantive CGI within six months

THISDAY findings as at the time Abeshi and Babandede appointments were approved by the presidency revealed that the NIS was constitutionally having two substantive CGIs and three at some point (when Abeshi and Babandede contested the throne) since  Parradang, who was suspended around June last year was formally retired.

According to the NIS insiders, legally Parradang was until his retirement, still the CGI since “he was not formally retired, neither has his suspension been lifted.”

“So you can see the whole cacophony of absurdity and leadership tussle in the NIS, which started with the injustice done against Rose Uzomah because of similar overbearing of the then Minister of Interior. Today we have a world record of longest suspension of a CGI in the person of Parradang,” a source had lamented at the heat of the succession battle between Abeshi and his replacement Babandede.

Meanwhile, Parradang who was appointed as the  13th CGI  June 10, 2013 recorded some landmark achievements while in office.