♛elotiTV♛ Requiem To Victims Of Immigration Job Stampede By Isa Muhammad Inuwa: The incident of Saturday, March 15 in which some 20 or so desperate job seekers and applicants of the Nigerian Immigration Service were trampled to death in stampedes at various examination centers designated for thousands of the candidates, wasnt only a national tragedy; but also an unfortunate and shameful scenario about Nigerias deep-seated problem of unemployment that would have otherwise been nipped in the bud. A social media picture of dead bodies of Abuja victims of the tragedy tucked into the cold room of the National Hospital, still with their clothes intact and looking as if they could still talk to someone, was a grim reality that speaks volumes of how pathetic the whole exercise turned out to become. Reports had it that in Abuja alone where about 68,000 applicants went for the test, seven people died in the stampede; while about 50 others were injured. Four applicants were reported to have died at the Port Harcourt center, where some 28, 000 applicants converged for the job, while two applicants and three others were said to have died at the Minna and Benin centers respectively. Also at the Kano center, three applicants were said to have been suffocated to death. More unfortunate is the manner with which the authorities respond to the development such as this, with their usual sheer unconcern and remorselessness, as if the helpless applicants are second citizens in their very country of birth. Imagine the uncouth response attributed to the Interior minister Mr. Abba Moro, who, instead of mourning the lost lives and commiserating with parents and families of the deceased, he simply blamed the late and injured applicants of not behaving orderly and scrambling on the queues. Also the minister was quoted in an interview with a foreign Radio station as saying, I wont resign, in response to those calling for his resignation as a result of the glaring failure of a department under his ministry. What weve heard so far is that Mr. President has invited the minister and the Immigration Comptroller General for explanations on the incident. Going by this development, one is forced to contemplate as to which is the way out for an average Nigerian to follow for survival in this turbulent terrain of life we are witnessing in the country. These were youths whose parents have taken the pain to groom over the years by investing heavily in their education, but who were laying idle after graduating. It is worthy that instead of the young applicants to enroll in such dreadful and controversial groups as the Odua Peoples Congress, (OPC); Movement for the Emancipation of Niger-Delta, (MEND) or the Boko Haram militia. More so, they chose not to engage in such crime as arm-robbery to fetch them quicker money; they rather chose to follow the approved and legitimate means - using their hard-earned certificates to apply for a job of which they are entitled in their own country. However, at the end of it all, harassments, flogging, shootings in the air, injuries and death were their rewards. Instead of realizing their dream of securing the job they so much cherish to acquire and live a decent life like their elder elites and predecessors who have already made their marks in life, but who, like the proverbial Oliver Twist, continue to dominate slots and places meant for their children and grand-children; the ambitious young applicants are crushed on the path of their struggle. Another worrisome revelation is that while about 3,000 to 4,500 slots were available for the coveted employment into the Nigerian Immigration Services, however, over one million people were invited to the so-called aptitude test centers designated at different places around the country. There are also stories about exploitations and extortions of money from the unsuspecting applicants, who left their comfort at home only to be that humiliated and maltreated as worthless strangers without recourse. Also the fact about the Nigerian context is that most if not all of those who reported at the examination centers are from the majority poor and less-to-do families, who are gullibly deceived to only show-up at the venue of an examination that is more or less a mere window dressing to deceive the public about the imagined recruitment exercise of whose posts and slots were already allocated to some chosen and favourite citizens. Media reports are full of facts and findings that major part of the said slots available for employment were already allocated to some governors and lawmakers, who in turn have either given them out to their chosen candidates or sold them to the highest bidders. Part of such reports reads thus Most of the immigration jobs that hundreds of thousands turned up trying to get on Saturday have already been allocated to well-connected politicians, including state governors and federal lawmakers. The reports went further that only 240 of the 4,556 slots at the Nigerian Immigration Service remained for the 522,652 ordinary applicants who trooped to the test centers and caused a stampede in which at least 16 of them died. While the usual calls and condemnations followed the incident, with the PDP ruling party and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) calling for probe into the matter and the latter suggesting for the resignation or firing of the minister of home affairs and that of the Comptroller General of the Immigration Services, the death of innocent applicants is likely to be swept under the carpet as done to so many similar and even more grievous happenings in the past, such as the killing of Yobe students in cold blood by purported Boko Haram members. The irony is that while parents and relatives of the dead applicants are left to grieve over the unforeseen death of their beloved ones, business goes as usual with the so-called leaders and authorities in the country. There is nothing like state mourning or announcing a work-free day in sympathy of the loss of the precious lives of the young and vibrant applicants, who died on queues, seeking the job and eager to serve their fatherland. With no regard or qualms, the so-cherished national conference kicked off on Monday, two days after the recruitment tragedy, thereby delving into an entirely different aspect of interest that serves the course of the powers at the highest echelon. However as it was muted by the authorities that an investigation committee into the causes of the stampede would be formed, it is advisable that the committee finds out why is the so-called test for the Immigration job is coming at this material time when the polity is being heated with speculations about President Goodlucks interest to contest in the 2015 elections. Nigerians are entitled to know whether the large gathering was intentionally created to score political goals, showcasing an outwardly stance of the federal governments seeming commitment to solving unemployment problems in the country. Nigerians also wait and watch out to see whether the final findings of the committee would not be dumped in the dustbin as done to many other previous cases. We shall see also whether, even for the first time in history, lives of the victims would be compensated. ISA MUHAMMAD INUWA, writes from P.O. Box 4534; Kano, Nigeria. Email: ismi2000ng@yahoo The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of SaharaReporters Original link Read More elotitv/easyblog/entry/requiem-to-victims-of-immigration-job-stampede-by-isa-muhammad-inuwa (y) ✍comment ☏share
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 21:37:07 +0000
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