By Olusegun Lawrence The embattled Minister of the Interior, Abba Moro, on Thursday in a sober mood apologised to Nigerians over the stampede that resulted in the death of 20 people during a recruitment exercise conducted by the Nigeria Immigration Service a couple of weeks ago.
He tendered the apology while appearing before the Senate Committee on Interior headed by Atiku Bagudu, investigating the national disaster.
According to him, adequate arrangements were put in place by his ministry, the board and the NIS to ensure a hitch-free exercise.
Moro was however countered by two key Board members that he unilaterally imposed the consultant that conducted the exercise on the board without due diligence.
“Mr Chairman and Distinguished Senators, we are deeply grieved and saddened about the way events turned out. We express our sincere regrets once again.
“However, permit me to state that our patriotic desire was the pursuit of a more honest, a more transparent, a more cost effective, a more efficient and equitable platform.
“We sincerely made appropriate and adequate preparations for a hitch-free exercise, but as most things in administrative and human conditions, the yield curve of expected outcome is mostly undefined.
“My heart goes out to the families of those who have lost their dear loved ones. I sincerely sympathise with those injured. I share in their grief. I share in their pains. May I at this juncture, assure you Distinguished Senators and Nigerians of my respect for the sanctity of human life.
“The loss of these young Nigerians, who are needed as a critical human resource factor for nation building is most regrettable. As the minister of interior, under whose purview this unfortunate exercise took place, I cannot abdicate my responsibility. The buck stops at my table,” Mori said.
Interestingly, a permanent member of the board of civil defence, fire, immigration and prisons services, Mustapha Zakariya, and the Comptroller General of the Immigration Service, David Parradang, both told the Committee that the unfortunate recruitment conducted by the NIS, was not approved by the board.
Zakariya, also said that the Minister, Moro imposed the Consultant that conducted the exercise on the Board without due diligence.
