Interior Minister, Abba Moro has blamed last Saturday’s stampede at the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment centres across the nation on doctors, nurses, bankers, teachers and others in paid employment.
According to him, these already employed individuals thronged the various recruitment centres in their numbers.
No fewer than 19 applicants, including four expectant women, died in the stampede. Many others were injured.
Moro said though these categories of persons never applied for jobs with the NIS, they gate-crashed into the venues of the recruitment, with the hope of getting foreign postings and being pensionable if employed by the NIS.
Moro’s aide, Mallam Salisu Dantata Muhammed, who spoke on behalf of his boss in Abuja yesterday, said contrary to reports, the ministry put in place logistics to contain crowds at the centres.
He also blamed the social media for the stampede, saying that many of the applicants were inviting friends and relatives who did not apply for the job to the centres through Facebook, text messages and other portals.
Muhammed said: “It’s odd that many of those who turned up included employed bankers, engineers, medical doctors, nurses, teachers and others who wanted to cross over to the Immigration Services at all costs.
“The Minister and officials of his ministry considered last Saturday’s incident as very regrettable, more so as the unexpected huge crowd shattered the near perfect arrangements they had put in place against anticipated huge crowd.
“The Interior Ministry made adequate provisions for the expected mammoth crowd at the National Stadium meant to conveniently sit 75,000 people.
More than 45 percent of those who eventually turned up were not supposed to be at the centres.
“About 520,000 applied for the recruitment exercise across the federation. For instance, we had in our record that applicants totalling 68,000 were to be at the Abuja Stadium. But at the end, nearly 70 percent of non-applicants forced their way into the stadium.
“Apart from the committees that planned the exercise ahead, we had security personnel drawn from the Immigration, Civil Defence, Prisons, Fire Services and others to complement the Police. We made adequate preparations.
“But they overpowered the security personnel. Many of them got impatient and very desperate to get attention, and in the process, they began to climb and jump across impossible places in order to gain access to the stadium. That was the beginning of the stampede.
“The crowd got more desperate when they learnt that they could get foreign service postings and then become pensionable. So doctors, nurses, teachers, engineer, and all manners of people who had paid jobs turned up and increased our dilemma.”
The minister’s aide said the scathing criticisms that greeted the stampede were uncalled for, arguing that the critics did not bother to find out what caused the stampede.
According to him, the minister and top officials of the ministry have gone into special intercessory prayers, specifically for the applicants who died. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
Rubbish. Can just keep queit and stop giving excuses. U failed in all ways. U r not the first to organize recruitment for large number of applicants. Get training from JAMB.
ReplyDeletefour thousand slots to be filled by five hundred thousand people how is that obtainable?haba Moron you blame everyone but yourself you are really a Moron.
ReplyDeleteGod punish you this aide, when bank alert was going to the consultant account, no complain of bankers, doctors, applying
ReplyDeleteWell. This your excuse does not cut an ice at all. Most of the youths I saw climbing over even razor wires and the mammoth crowds that were crowded the venues don't in anyway look like those in employment already.Besides ,I doubt if NIS specifically stated that those in paid employment should not apply. But there is no law that forbids one from looking for a better opportunity.The only thing here is that the same NIS officials may have even collected huge sums of money from these category of applicant and would have given them the positions still. It is very sad and unfortunate, This attempt to exonerate themselves from this tragedy by any official is adding insult into injury. They must sincerely apologise to Nigerian and those directly affected by this preventable tragedy.All those implicated in this mess must be punished to serve as lessons to others who may in future want to make money out of jobless citizens.
ReplyDeleteAs his name is Abba Moron so is his talk. No sympathy or empathy, he keeps on shifting the blame. I weep for my country.
ReplyDeleteMallam salisu, we are not fools, Hw can U tell us dat dis doctors or bankers came 4rm facebook invitation 4rm patispant @ da ground if they didn't Register b4 dat day, better watch wat U say or U'll create more Qualm 4 ur boss dan d one on ground.
ReplyDeleteThis man should accept his failure and not try to put it on somebody else. my questions here are:
ReplyDelete1. How can he conduct test for at least 20,000 candidate in a day?
2. How can you conduct screening exercise for such huge numbers also in a day?
3. What are the measures put in place for such crowed such as drinking water, food and first aid I case of emergency?
4. How many officials were available on ground to carry out the exercise?
This is how his brain should work if or he was planning for this. In this exercise, he is a failure and he has failed. He should just accept it
Is this Moro normal at all? and is this the kind of excuse that we can get from a glaring incompetent Minister? If it were to be in a sane society, this guys would have been in jail....and i hope the Minister and the Comptroller General will loose their jobs....otherwise....
ReplyDeletethe
ReplyDeleteman is talking rubbish. How come the stampede occurred in many of the centres? A drowning man clutches at a straw.
The minister should resign for his incompetent and lack of proper planning that wasted Nigerian lives. Jamb has been conducting examination for more than 2million candidates without any hitch. He should be ashamed of himself.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame, that they can even say that people who did not apply over powered the security men and went into the stadium. It shows that the security men are not well trained, they should have gotten bouncers in their stead. Rubbish
ReplyDeleteYou are a big fool...u will one day cry and no one will here u. By now u and ur boss shd av thrown in the towel. One way, ur actions or inactions have led to the death of our dear citizens.
ReplyDeleteMoro or Moron, its better to shut up than be giving flimsy excuses for your incompetency. Anyone has the right to seek for job at any point in time, whether employed or unemployed. Why did you or the NIS not stop the buying of application forms when the target mark was hit ? You had 4556 vacancy yet you accepted over 500,000 applications. To me this is fraud !. Please stop speaking through your anus !!!
ReplyDeleteThis man should respect the dead and keep quiet. Must he absolve the NIS of wrongdoing?
ReplyDeleteCan't believe the excuses being tendered here by a minister.it is very very appaulling.
ReplyDeleteAbba Moro should just have kept quiet and stop making an average Nigerian angrier. Why is it so difficult for us to take blames for our wrong doings? Look at him, trying to shift blames on people. Were those people he claimed bombarded the place checked to be so sure they really belonged to the category he wanted us to believe they fall into. Wouldn't they who were expecting people for such interview have really done their homework so as to foresee such problem, since a great number of people are jobless? What about the money they collected? Whose idea was it? Abeg this man should be fired! He is obviously a callous leader!
ReplyDeleteThe Minister is right with all his excuses because our President does not value of our survival since him all his acronym are all okay. This is not the first kind of situation that had happen under this regime. Inec, Nnpc, prison and Immigration has done the same in the past. The Road Safety just wake up charge Nigeria for new plate number the have paid for again because they are introduce certain security feature. we can go on and on ( some of the vehicle does not even valued up to 35000 Naira for the new plate number . We pray that God will give us president that value our survival and sanctity of life. we have missed Late Gani Fawehin who usually goes to court on our behave, May his soul rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteAbba Moro is really a MORON!
ReplyDeleteMumu club. Hw did 70% enter a venue with gates if they did not register or show evidence of being an applicant? Abba moron & co. We are all not as stupid as ......you knw nw. Learn to accept responsibility.
ReplyDeleteBlaming everybody but yourself you are really a moron, I feel sorry for you coz what goes around always come around.
ReplyDeleteMoron, are you really sure that the people that caused stampede are the category you mentioned bcos employed people could not have been desperate to d extent of jumping into the venue of test afterall they are into salary paid job no-matter how small.where do you get your own conviction that NIS will give better offer than what they already into.keep ur dirty mouth sealed.
ReplyDeleteShould any of d deseased came from Gej family, wat will be his reaction, I wish dis same question will get to him asap, he better think twice before d dead avenge.
ReplyDeleteWhat is our president still waiting for to throw this Abba Moron back to where he rightly belongs. He should be ashamed of himself for his failures and inadequacies. Was he expecting an empty space when he published for the exercise, otherwise why should he use the stadium. Was were his safety plans for the crowd he was expecting.
ReplyDeleteOn d part of Abba Moro, he is to b blame. And on our part, we should also know that, there is no perfection in humanity, many among us still make mistakes that has even bn niknamed common mistake now. Many of us still 4get 2 off our stove after use, to unplung our pressing iron, to mention but few of many mistakes @ home. But, it is wise to accept our fault. Nd not to shift blame.
ReplyDeleteJust like his name (Moro), this man is a confirmed Moron!
ReplyDeleteJust like his name (Moro), this man is a typical Moron!
ReplyDeleteThe more this moron tries to exonorate himself the more he sinks himself deeper into the mud.I don't know what this man takes Nigerians for.Your foolishness knows no bounds.
ReplyDeleteNabal Moron ni......
ReplyDelete