By CrossRiverWatch admin
Hon. Legor Idagbo representing Obudu/Obanlikwu/Bekwara Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives has commended the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS for acceding to the request to recall 2000 dismissed Immigration service recruits after being laid off almost a year ago.
Honorable Idagbo while expressing delight about the decision of the Immigration boss, also said he was happy that the motion which he (Legor) moved in the House of Representatives to recall the recruits has eventually yielded results to the benefit of all.
The NIS Comptroller General made the promise on Tuesday while addressing the dismissed personnel who were protesting their “unlawful dismissal” at the Ministry of Interior, Abuja.
He said that although the problem was inherited and since he just assumed office, he would do all he could to resolve the issue in line with due process and the change agenda of the present government.
“We have to find a way to give you back your job when vacancies are declared, I don’t have vacancy today,” Babandede said.
“Those who gave you job gave it to you wrongly but it’s not your fault. We must consider you for this job as soon as we can. Those who gave it to you have no authority to give it to you by law,” he said.
He however, pointed out that the Service will have to carry out security tests on each of them before they could be reconsider while those who will eventually get the job will have to get it on merit.
“I’m not going to recruit those who protest, I’m not going to recruit those who shout, I want to recruit those who have good legs and good behavior,” he added.
The Immigration chief noted that: “The ministry has given me the mandate to sit down with your representatives and find a way out. We must solve your problem but to do that, you must behave well. I will collect security report on each one of you. I am not going to accept any officer who is not disciplined and a drug addict.”
The leaders of the group are to meet with the Comptroller General at the Service headquarters in Abuja on today (Wednesday) to find a way to resolve their agitations.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered the suspension of their recruitment process after assuming office last year.
They were already through with their training exercise and were only awaiting deployment when they were asked to go back home and await further directives but no official response was received 298 days afterwards, hence Tuesday’s protest.
The 2000 personnel were employed by a presidential committee in 2015 following the tragedy that marred the March 2014 recruitment exercise where many candidates died and many more sustained injuries.
The House of Representative had in April, 2016 ordered their immediate reinstatement after receiving the report of the Committee on Public Petitions which considered a petition written by one of the dismissed recruits which was laid before the House by Hon. Legor Idagbo.
But sources in the Ministry of Interior which supervises the Immigration Service insisted that only the President can order the enforcement of the legislators’ directive.
While drawing the attention of the House to the dangers of allowing the 2000 recruits to return to the labor market, Hon. Idagbo, presented a petition written by one Mr. Iroakazi Precious and laid it before the House on December 1, 2015.
Hon. Idagbo argued that it was not only pertinent for government to consider the danger of sending 2000 citizens back to the unemployment market but to also consider the risk of having that number of persons who have been trained in weapons handling back into the society in the face of daunting security challenges that the country is facing.
“One of the most critical challenges the nation is facing today is unemployment and if the federal government had given hope to young people who must have spent the little money that they don’t even have to go through a rigorous process of recruitment with all the military drills and discipline, it will simply be very unfair to now throw those 2000 people back into the labor force.
“We are told that the Immigration does not have sufficient man power to police our porous borders so it is then not understandable why anyone should push out 2000 people that you have spent resources to train.
“If we also consider the daunting security challenges that the country is facing, with terrorism and armed insurgents, it will be clear that the decision to disengage 2000 people who have been trained in weapons handling and usage, back into the streets is not a well thought out decision.” He said.
With the Presidential directive to now recall the sacked recruits, Hon. Idagbo told CrossRiverWatch that he was happy that the effort he made along with several other Nigerians and other agencies who intervened in the matter had paid off.
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