Immigration Recruitment Tragedy: Applicants Sue Moro, Parradang, Others Four persons, acting for themselves and as representatives of the applicants to Nigeria Immigration Service 2014 recruitment exercise, have dragged the federal government, minister of interior Abba Moro, NIS comptroller-general David Parradang and others before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja over last Saturday’s recruitment exercise. They are seeking an order declaring that the conduct or the execution of the recruitment exercise was illegal, unwarranted,and in violation of the applicants’ fundamental rights to life. The plaintiffs, who filed the suit at the registry of the court, brought the application under sections 33,34, and 44 of the 1999 Constitition (as amended) and the equivalent articles of the African Charter on Human and People’s Right Act. The plantiffs also named the attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, minister of interior and the Nigeria Immigration Service as co-defendants to the suit. The applicants — Charles Ugwuonye, Friday Danlami, Chinedu Onwuka and Samson Ojo — through their counsel Emeka Ugwuonye had, among other things, asked the court to declare the recruitment exercise illegal and restrain the NIS from spending the money realized from it. They also want the court to order the respondents to refund the recruitment money back to the applicants, pay the sum of N1m to each applicant and N50m to the families of deceased applicants as general damages. They also want the court to declare that the conduct or the execution of the recruitment exercise illegal, unwarranted, in violation of the applicants’ fundamental rights to life, right to protection from inhuman and degrading treatment, right to dignity of the human person, right against discrimination on the basis of the circumstances of birth and right against unlawful taking of the property of a person; under Sections 33, 34, 42 and 44 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended), and the equivalent Articles of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights Act. No date has been fixed for the hearing od the matter. Niger Releases Names of 14 Injured Victims Barely a week after the Immigration recruitment tragedy in Niger State, the Niger State government and the State Immigration Command have formally released 14 names of the victims who received major and minor injuries during the stampede last Saturday in Minna. This is also coming on the heel of the presidential directive that ministers from the affected states should go back to their various areas to visit the families of the victims of the stampede and deliver a special message from President Goodluck Jonathan . The secretary to Niger State government, Rt. Hon. Idris Ndako Kapki, who released the names yesterday while receiving the minister of state, agriculture, Hajiya Asabe Assmau Ahmed, said the identity of one of the dead female victims was yet to be known but two of the applicants, male and female, who were certified dead by the hospital management were known. He gave the names of the victims as Nafiu Alhassan, Ozoamiakor Adaeze, Ndeji Usman, Umar Alh. Audu, Iliya Zawali, Angela Samuel, Fatimal Adamu Sambo, Hauwa Musa Modibo, Rita E. Abraham, Mohammed Sani, Yusuf Baba, Blessing Bako, Annah B. Damidami and Ibrahim Isah Mohammed (deceased). PENGASSAN Seeks Arrest of Consultant, Sack of NIS boss The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the consultant that handled last Saturday’s recruitment exercise that led to the death of about 21 applicants in Abuja and Benin City for jettisoning recruitment procedures as laid down in the civil service rules. PENGASSAN president Comrade Babatunde Ogun on Thursday condemned the recruitment procedure that led to the death of the applicants, demanding that the minister of interior, Mr Abba Moro, should also step aside pending the end of a probe to be instituted by the government to determine the culpability of the minister and the ministry’s officers in the fatal recruitment exercise. Somebody Must Take Responsibility – Activists Human rights activists have condemned the decision by the federal government to cancel the ill-fated Nigeria Immigration Service examination which led to the death of over 20 youths on Saturday, insisting that somebody must take responsibility for the victims. Human rights activist and lawyer Festus Okoye, who spoke exclusively to LEADERSHIP Friday, said, “Somebody must take responsibility for the tragedy that has taken place as cancelling the NIS examination does not solve the problem. Another activist, Dr Okei Odumakin of Women Arise Foundation, described the loss of lives as unfortunate and a reflection of the level of unemployment and desperation by the Nigerian youths, which does not mean that what ought to be done should not be done. Politicising NIS Recruitment Tragedy’ll Create Bad Blood – CNPP The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has called on Nigerians to reflect deeply and see the motive of the recent Nigeria Immigration Service recruitment exercise and not play the game of sentimentality. The CNPP secretary, Hon. Chukwuemeka Ekenaka, at a press conference, yesterday, said: “We grieve and sympathise with the parents who have lost loved ones in the course of this exercise. It is very unfortunate that young Nigerians considered the leaders of tomorrow will lose their lives in an exercise meant to better their lives and nation. Consultant Suggests Way Out The lead consultant of Kaduna Customer Service School (KCSS), Mr Ogungbuyi Emmanuel, has condemned the recent tragedy during the NIS recruitment exercise and suggested that there should be a re-orientation of Nigerian youths on job creation. Group Condemns Minister’s Claims The Governance Watch Initiative (GWI) has condemned the response and defence of interior minister Abba Moro to the tragic recruitment exercise of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) that led to the deaths of many youth and left scores wounded. This was contained in a statement signed by its national coordinator, Barrister Rotimi Ogunwuyi, on Thursday. M/Belt Youths Blame FG Over Unemployment A group under the auspices of Middle Belt Youths Vanguard have decried the high level of unemployment in the country, saying the deaths of some youths during the recent Nigeria Immigration Service recruitment was an indication that governments at all levels have been paying lip service to the problem of unemployment in Nigeria. According to a statement signed by its chairman Golit Pankimun and secretray Darshak Kassam and made available to LEADERSHIP Friday, he urged the federal government not to hearken to the voice of those calling for the sack of the minister of interior, Comrade Abba Moro, and the comptroller-general of Immigrations, Mr David Parradang. Facility Manager Would Have Averted Stampede – Expert An expert has given an indication that engaging the service of professional facility managers would have averted the tragedy. A director, board of directors of International Facility Management Association (IFMA), Mr Collins Osayamwen, gave this indication yesterday in an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP Friday in Abuja. Osayamwen, who condoled with the families of the deceased, described the incident as avoidable if necessary safety precautions had been taken earlier. He said: “Whatever the use of a facility is, it is the job of a facility manager to ensure that the facility (building, stadium, hospital, etc) is in good condition and the users are secure and comfortable.” According to him, a facility manager would have adequately “put in place measures to ensure that users are intact and guarded from all forms of dangers. Senator Gaya calls for prosecution Chairman, Senate Committee on States and Local Governments, Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya, yesterday advocated a thorough and indepth investigation into the deaths of applicants at last Saturday’s recruitment exercise of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). Senator Gaya said it was disheartening that the NIS could intentionally collect money from hapless applicants on the allegation that only 240 slots out of the 4,500 was available. The senator also slammed the NIS for cramming more than 27,000 applicants into the Kano Stadium, which can only accommodate 14, 000 people. According to him, the deaths witnessed in Abuja were also as a result of cramming more than 60,000 applicants in the stadium. “When I saw the situation in Kano last Saturday, I could not but shed tears because I know that the Kano Stadium has a capacity of 14,000, but on that day desperation on the part of of the teeming unemployed youths in my state saw 27,000 people in the stadium.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 12:51:48 +0000
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