Nigerian Immigration (NIS) - Minister of Interior, Mr Abba Moro, has clarified issues concerning the controversy generated by the imposition of N1,000 processing fee on the applicants, in the ongoing recruitment exercise into the Nigerian Immigration (NIS).

This is coming as some aggrieved personnel within the parastatal questioned the rationale behind the fee, alleging that about N6 billion should have been generated with an estimated six million or more applicants.

Moro, in a statement signed yesterday by his
Special Assistant on Media, Mr George Udoh, said the fee was charged by the consulting firm handling the recruitment exercise for
administrative purposes.

The minister, in the statement titled: "Setting the Record Straight", said there were some
misrepresentations about his position on the
N1000 processing fee charged for every applicant applying for a job in NIS, which is one of the para-military outfits under the leadership of the Minister. He said the response has "become necessary to set
the records straight by informing members of the public that the Ministry of interior does not charge any fee for job. I have chosen to set the records straight and to correct the misleading reports in some National Newspapers lately because in spite of spirited efforts some sections of the media are still hell bent on dishing out falsehood and half
truths to gullible members of the public.

"According to him, "this piece is likely going to be our last attempt to join issues with those who deliberately want to distort records, adding that these explanations will correct the misrepresentation being peddled by mischief makers to discredit the good intentions of the Minister of interior. Moro further explained that the N1,000 charge "is
the charge by the consulting firm to defray cost of accessing the website to fill forms. This is also intended to save the applicants the cost of travelling to Abia to submit their application forms, as well as avoid other inherent risks, including unauthorised middlemen activities and other abuses." "It is also against the backdrop of an earlier
exercise that was carried out some years ago
during which applicants converged on a common place and there was a stampede resulting in the loss of some lives. "As a responsive and responsible Minister who
believes in the rule of law, I have the greatest
respect for the laws of the land and would not if any circumstance breach any provision of an existing law. The N1,000 charge was approved for the consultant after due consultations with all relevant government agencies," he added.

However, some insiders within the service who spoke on the condition anonymity wondered why such fee should be charged from jobless applicants in the first place. According to them, its like impoverishing further Nigerians by taking away the little they have without even assurance of the job they were seeking. "A lot of money will be made by this so called processing fee and if over six million Nigerians were to apply for a vacancy of not more than two to five thousand, while generating over N6 billion
at their expense," a source noted.



- Thisday News