President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday
compensated each of the 15 families that lost
their loved ones in the stampede that occurred
during the 2014 Nigerian Immigration Service’s
recruitment exercise in Abuja to the tune of N5m
each.
A total of N75m was handed over to the 15
families during an emotion-laden event held
inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja shortly after
Jonathan returned to the nation’s capital city
after his two-day visit to the South West.
The event took place barely one year after the
incident that occurred at the National Stadium,
Abuja on March 15, 2014.
“I promise this country that such (fatal
recruitment exercise) will not happen again. This
will be the last of such things,” Jonathan told
the bereaved families who also got 35 automatic
employment letters during the event.
The President had shortly after the incident last
year, promised to employ three members each
from the families of the deceased while canceling
the exercise.
Representatives of the deceased families got
their cheques at the event while three family
members were each given employment letters.
Jonathan justified the delay in fulfilling the
government’s promise to put smiles on the faces
of the bereaved families, saying it was due to the
need so sort out some undisclosed issues.
He said the monetary gifts to the families of the
deceased should not be seen as compensation
because they were incapable of replacing the
lives lost.
The Comptroller-General of the NIS, Mr. David
Paradang, said that out of the 45 candidates, 10
had to be replaced because they did not meet
the criteria of the service.
Paradang explained that some of them were
shorter in height than required, overweight or
overaged.
He said the 10 families had been asked to bring
replacements for the slots.
He disclosed that some of the beneficiaries who
are graduates were employed as Assistant
Superintendent; those with National Certificate of
Education were employed as Assistant
Inspectors while those with the West African
school certificate were employed as Immigration
Officers 3.
He added that the service has currently resumed
the employment exercise aimed at recruiting
2,000 officers.
Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro, said those
who sustained injuries during the incident would
be included in the second phase of the
recruitment.