*One year after Jonathan’s government fails to fulfil promises
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has given automatic employment to twenty victims of the last Nigeria Immigration Service recruitment tragedy of March 15, 2014 and also gave N2 million to the widower and children of the late Mrs. Sandra Amu who died in the commotion.
This is coming almost a year after President Goodluck Jonathan’s Government failed to fulfil the promise of giving automatic employment to those injured in the exercise and three employment slots to families of those who lost their loved ones in the recruitment fiasco.
Governor Oshiomhole, centre, with one of the kids of Mrs Amu, a victim of NIS tragic recruitment exercise
Disclosing the employment offer during a meeting with the family of the woman who lost her life and eleven of the twenty persons who sustained injuries during the ill-fated recruitment exercise held at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City on Saturday, March 15, 2014, Oshiomhole said “it is unlawful for people seeking employment to pay money. It is the employer who pays the consultant and not the applicant. That transaction was mainly illegal collection and it is extortion.
“I think it is important that people don’t exploit office power to compound the problem of those who are already down. What we can, without prejudice to whatever plans the Immigration Services or the Ministry of Internal Affairs is making, see how we can assist in terms of employment.
“The government will also provide the family of the deceased with legal representation so as to sue the Immigration authorities for the loss of life. Each time people are reckless with human lives and they go home and sleep, it is why we talk about the culture of impunity, where people can do anything and go free.”
“we are also going to offer the graduates employment opportunities in our Information Communication Technology Agency if they are interested in that. In that case, you need to take their documents and they start work by Monday. However, if the Immigration option opens up, you are at liberty to move from one job to another”, he said.
Earlier, Coordinator of the group, Mr. Edmond Osuma had told the governor of their challenges since the Immigration recruitment exercise of March 14 2014 that since the incident happened it has been a serious problem in getting in contact with the Controller of Immigration.
He solicited the assistance of the Governor to enable the group to see the immigration authorities and requested the governor’s magnanimity to alleviate the hardship of the victims.
The victims told the Governor that while they paid one thousand each, online, before going for the recruitment exercise, they are yet to get a refund one year after the tragedy.