President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday compensated each of the 15 families that lost their loved ones in the stampede that occurred during the 2014 Nigerian Immigration Service’s recruitment exercise in Abuja to the tune of N5m each.
A total of N75m was handed over to the 15 families during an emotion-laden event held inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja shortly after Jonathan returned to the nation’s capital city after his two-day visit to the South West.
The event took place barely one year after the incident that occurred at the National Stadium, Abuja on March 15, 2014.
“I promise this country that such (fatal recruitment exercise) will not happen again. This will be the last of such things,” Jonathan told the bereaved families who also got 35 automatic employment letters during the event.
The President had shortly after the incident last year, promised to employ three members each from the families of the deceased while canceling the exercise.
Representatives of the deceased families got their cheques at the event while three family members were each given employment letters.
Jonathan justified the delay in fulfilling the government’s promise to put smiles on the faces of the bereaved families, saying it was due to the need so sort out some undisclosed issues.
He said the monetary gifts to the families of the deceased should not be seen as compensation because they were incapable of replacing the lives lost.
The Comptroller-General of the NIS, Mr. David Paradang, said that out of the 45 candidates, 10 had to be replaced because they did not meet the criteria of the service.
Paradang explained that some of them were shorter in height than required, overweight or overaged.
He said the 10 families had been asked to bring replacements for the slots.
He disclosed that some of the beneficiaries who are graduates were employed as Assistant Superintendent; those with National Certificate of Education were employed as Assistant Inspectors while those with the West African school certificate were employed as Immigration Officers 3.
He added that the service has currently resumed the employment exercise aimed at recruiting 2,000 officers.
Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro, said those who sustained injuries during the incident would be included in the second phase of the recruitment.(Punch)
