Respite has come for the 176 injured applicants in the immigration recruitment tragedy which claimed the lives of job seekers.


Immigration Recruitment Tragedy

The House of Representatives has ordered that 176 candidates offered employment in the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) by former President Goodluck Jonathan be issued letters of appointment.

The legislators added that 48 members of the deceased families be deployed and their salaries effected.

The lawmakers gave the order on Thursday, December 10, while adopting the report of the Femi Gbajabiamila-led three man panel investigating the ill-fated recruitment into NIS.

They blamed the power tussle between the presidential committee set up by President Jonathan and the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Board on the appointment for the disregard of the presidential directive.

Their action followed a petition by a victim on the non-implementation of the presidential directive.

The reps said others injured, but excluded by the report of the Department of State Services (DSS) should also be given letters of appointment after due diligence on their claims.

The lawmakers, while adopting the report at the Committee of the House, chaired by Deputy Speaker Yussuff Lasun, regretted that the presidential committee veered from its mandate by embarking on illegal recruitment.

The panel, however, found out that the presidential committee breached the terms of reference when it “suo moto and without recourse to the board, embarked on another recruitment exercise”.

The committee found out that there was contradictory information from the permanent secretary, Ministry of Interior, who told the committee that the board was not carried along in the recruitment exercise.

But the House committee obtained evidence from a candidate, who tendered an appointment letter issued by the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Board for an immigration service job.

The ministry’s permanent secretary was blamed for informing the House panel that there was a court case on the recruitment exercise.