The Commandant-General of the Nigerian Civil Defense Corps, Dr. Ade Abolurin, has come under criticism for culpably leading not less than 27 members of the Corps to early grave through a baseless summon that purported to correct the discriminatory policy against graduates of Polytechnics.
Dr. Abolurin is being accused of culpable homicide allegedly for inviting polytechnic graduates who work as members of the Corps to Abuja, purportedly to address the disparity in wages received between university graduates and graduates of polytechnics – a goal that was never fulfilled at the end of the gathering in Abuja last week, but resulted in the death of about 27 Civil Defense Corp members in various accidents.
At least 15 members of the organization from Bayelsa State and another 5 from Oyo State were said to have died while travelling to answer the dispatches that invited them headquarters to Abuja.
Graduates of universities who are at the point of entry to the corps are placed on Level 08 and paid about One Hundred and Eighty thousand naira every month. They spend an average of four years learning from books with little practical applications.
Their polytechnic graduate counterparts on the other hand are placed at Level 07 and paid about Sixty-Five thousand naira salary a month, despite spending an average of 5 years learning vocations and professions which expose them to superior practical training.
But Abolurin and the top brass of the Civil Defense Corp, who currently face criticisms for the their failure to complement actionable intelligence for internal security in the country, actively exploited Nigeria’s class consciousness and divisive practices to discriminate against polytechnic graduates.
To further compound the situation, about a week ago, members of the Corps, who are polytechnic graduates travelled to Abuja – purportedly to have the matter sorted out.
When they got to Abuja, three categories of professionals, engineers, architects and accountants were elevated to the better paid cadre Level 08 while “others were told to go and roast.”
Sharpedgenews.com learned that the top hierarchy of the Civil Defense Corps may actually be helping itself to a sizeable portion of the money meant for the payment of their workers. Abolurin is allegedly acting contrary to directives from the Presidency and Interior ministry.