By Nuel Suji, Abuja – The House of Representatives has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service NIS to employ qualified relatives of those that lost their lives as a result of stampede as well as the injured during last year’s nationwide recruitment exercise in line with the Presidential directive on the matter.
The decision followed a public hearing put in place by the leadership of the House following protest by the relatives of the affected family.
President Goodluck Jonathan had in May 2014 directed that 3 members of families of those who lost their lives in the ill fated recruitment be given employment while those injured should be given one employment.
As a follow up, Jonathan gave symbolic letters to the families of the affected victims on May 2014.
However, Members of the House, especially the leadership expressed shock to hear that the directive was not implemented by the bureaucrats.
The committee put together to resolve the logjam led by the House Leader and chairman Ad-hoc Committee on NIS 2014 Recruitment Exercise, Rep Femi Gbajabiamila met the Service and its Supervisory Ministry, Interior on why president Goodluck Jonathan’s directive on the employment was not carried out to the letter.
Gbajabiamila after listening to explanations from the permanent secretary of Ministry of Interior, Abubakar Magaji, told him to ensure that the 75 people involved in the presidential directive for employment are made to report for duty immediately in line with the directive.
He added that the House of Reps would not take kindly to a presidential directive given in good faith to be flouted.
Earlier, Magaji had said it was not possible to absorb the beneficiaries of the presidential directive on the NIS because there was no written approval to that effect.
Magaji argued that all the ministry got was a verbal instruction on the pages of newspapers by the president without a written approval.
