NIS Recruitment

Lessons from the NIS Recruitment Exercise
Desperate for job and strong desire to earn a decent living is what cost over twenty young Nigerian men and women their lives across the nation. This was as a result of rigorous physical exercise they undergo during the just concluded Nigerian Immigration Service recruitment exercise. The exercise which over 130,000 candidates turned out to participate all over the country was to fill-in 1,200 slots required by the NIS to beef up its staff strength. It is still unclear why these young men and women were subjected to such unhealthy situation just because they want to serve their fatherland.

The exercise slated for 6am when the weather is generally conducive could not start in some places like Kaduna till 2pm, by which time the weather was very hot and humid. Long waiting, exertion and hunger coupled with dehydration caused some of the recruits to slump during the drilling which consequently led to the death of others. The exercise in Enugu claimed three lives as candidates struggled to force themselves into the examination premises. According to one of the victims who spoke to BBC, Chikaodili Okeke, the prospective immigration men were told to make it to the Federal Government College Enugu, from government secretariat in 20 minutes. Said she ‘but on reaching there we found the gates closed. In a struggle to open the gates chaos ensued and from that time I don’t know what happened. The only thing I can remember was that I fell down’.

The highest number of casualties was recorded in Kaduna State . A total number of eight candidates have been reported dead. during the military-styled drilling. Eye witnesses said that the candidates were left under the blazing sun, eight hours before the commencement of the recruitment exercise. Amidst very humid and hot weather, the candidates were subjected to a military-styled drilling which include a 2.3 kilometre marathon race, which is to be completed at a specific time. Responding to newsmen, on the number of casualties recorded the comptroller of Immigration Service in Kaduna State , Alhaji Yusuf Mohammed Bawa, said that military-styled drilling and long distance running is routine exercise during recruitment of paramilitary. According to him only one casualty is recorded adding that ‘we normally warn them to ensure their fitness before coming for the exercise’. However, what most relatives of the victims were complaining about was the way the recruits were left for so many hours before the commencement of the exercise without food or water.

In Bauchi and Delta five people are reported dead during the exercise. The four that lost their lives in Delta failed to make the long race which started from Federal College of Education (technical) Asaba to Stadium as early as 7am. While the victim in Bauchi died after undergoing the rigorous exercise.

The Saturday’s immigration recruitment exercise is a cause for concern to all and sundry as this is the first time in the history of this nation that a recruitment exercise claimed so many lives. It is unfortunate and regrettable that young men and women would be sent to their early graves for a sin they never committed. Their only fault was opting for a legal way of earning a living. Although the NIS claimed that it warned the prospective candidates to ensure they are physically fit for the exercise before applying, notwithstanding the NIS ought to have make adequate preparation to avoid such a disaster. Had it been the NIS made provision for first aid and ambulances they should have save so many lives. Yours sincerely believes that government had provide enough money for the successful conduct of this exercise but someone somewhere in the chain helped himself with the money putting other peoples lives in danger.
It is unfortunate that we are living in country where people don't accept the responsibility of their wrong doings. If it is in a country where leaders are more concern about the welfare of their citizens, somebody would have accepted responsibility and resign, but trust our leaders up to this moment nobody either from the NIS or the interior ministry is telling us what actually went wrong talk less of claiming responsibility. Our hope is that the National Assembly will set-up a powerful committee to fully investigate this matter and punish those responsible. This incident will also serve as a lesson for other paramilitary institution to seriously re-visit the way recruitment exercise are conducted in order to avoid the repeat of the Saturday’s disaster.
Kabiru Danladi,
Lawanti Village,
km25 along Gombe-Bauchi Road,
Akko L.G.A
Gombe state