The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Zone B has expressed shock over the death of about 12 people during the nationwide recruitment exercise conducted by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Saturday.
Consequently, the body has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately relieve the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro and the Comptroller General of Immigration, David Parradang, of their positions.
A statement issued by NANS Zone B Public Relations Officer, Pedro Obi, condemned the manner in which the exercise was conducted by the Ministry of Interior.
The statement reads, “The overall turnout of millions of Nigerian youths as job seekers for a mere 3,000 job slot in the Nigerian Immigration Services is another attestation of the present pathetic situation facing our youths and graduates in Nigeria.
“The death of innocent Nigerians and the numerous injuries recorded at the National Stadium, Abuja and other parts of the country is an axiomatic representation of civil servants inability to handle even a mere recruitment screening exercise, how much more of effectively handling the offices they have been manning for the past years.
“In as much as we believe that the administration of His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GCFR) is committed in bridging the youth unemployment gap in the nation, we at NANS are still confused at how Mr. President intends to achieve this.
“With the recent turnout recorded at the immigration job screening centers, every Nigerian student, from basic to university level will not only be skeptical of their future but will equally be making out second plans on economic survival knowing already that a decent job awaits them not in this country called Nigeria!
“The recent charade called screening in the Nigerian Immigration Service is a clear confirmation that the Nigerian Immigration Services chiefs and in extension the Minister of Interior Affairs, Hon. Abbah Moro, have failed in their primary duty to provide an enabling environment for all applicants to participate in the aptitude test without pandemonium.
“NANS see no reason why the applicants could not be shared or rather split into batches to avoid such ugly incidence, knowing full well the number of applications recorded for the exercise. It is just another show of shame and failure in the usual style synonymous with the Nigerian civil servants.
“There are also rumours of each applicants paying one thousand Naira (N1000) for this job as part of processing fees. NANS wish to know why and how such monies will be spent knowing full well that over one Billion Naira (N1Billion) must have been received if a million persons had applied alone as rumoured.
“On this note, NANS call on the Federal Government to carry out a thorough investigation into this ugly incidence to forestall future occurrence as the Nigerian youths and the Nigerian students in particular would not take it likely with any of such agencies who fails in its duty to the Nigerian people in the future.
“We also call for the immediate sack of the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration, David Shikfu Parradang, and the Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro over their gross incompetence and lack of common sense that has led to the death of several Nigerian youths.
“We mourn the death of the victims, whom out of high hope and patriotism to contribute their quota to their fatherland have had their lives cut short by the nonchalant attitude of the Nigerian Immigration Services”.
