The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mrs Rose Uzoma last Thursday said she was not aware of any new recruitment exercise into the service this year, contrary to reports.

Uzoma negated the claim at a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum in Abuja, while reacting to an allegation of irregular recruitment exercise into the NIS.

On Monday, the Minister of Interior,  Mr Abba Moro, issued a statement cancelling ongoing recruitment exercise in the service citing “apparent controversy trailing the exercise”.

The minister also directed that all appointment letters issued and documentation carried should be cancelled until the Prison ands Immigration Board meets to consider the waiver granted the NIS to recruit.

But Uzoma put the blame on a media report which she said falsely reported about an “ongoing recruitment exercise”.

“The recent publication gave a very wrong impression; I want to put it on record that the Nigeria Immigration Service has not issued a single employment letter to any Nigerian this season. “It is only two weeks ago that we got approval from the office of the Head of Service of the Federation to recruit and even when we had that approval, my minister travelled out of the country, she said.

“So, we are in the process of arranging this recruitment exercise. We needed also to get consent from the Federal Character Commission. “We just got this approval from the Federal Character Commission on the procedures that we intend to adopt on the 24th,’’ she said.

The comptroller-general said the story on the irregular recruitment was published on the same day the service received approval for recruitment from the Federal Character Commission.

She described the publication as unfair and a move to malign her character.

Uzoma noted that employment statistics showed that the North Central zone of the country topped the work force of the service with 5,144 employees,.

She said that the South South zone had 4,306 employees with the North West zone accounting for 4,089 employees.

The statistics also placed the South East zone in fourth position with 3,415 employees and the South West zone with 3,267 workers.

According to her, the North East zone accounts for 3,095 employees.

Uzoma, however, said Ebonyi was the most disadvantaged state followed by Zamfara, Abuja and Sokoto states.

“Before that publication came out, we were discussing with the Federal Character Committee of the National Assembly because we noted that there are 12 states that seemed disadvantaged.”

She added that the 12 states that were disadvantaged did not have too many immigration officers on the nominal role of the service and that Nigerians would be notified of the commencement of the impending recruitment exercise.

Uzoma insisted that there was no rift between her and the Minister of Interior, Mr Abba Moro, noting that the publication was intended to cause disharmony between them.

“I am not aware of any disagreement between me and my honourable minister; as far as I am concerned, we are working very well and the minister  has not complained to me about any promotion exercise.” she said.

Uzoma said promotion exercises in the service were usually done following the due process and were always conducted by the Board of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Civil Defence, Prisons and the Federal Fire Service.