Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Interior, Abubakar Magaji, yesterday revealed why a directive from former president, Goodluck Jonathan on employment of 176 persons selected by the Special Presidential Committee on the Immigration Recruitment was ignored.
Magaji described the presentation of employment letters by Jonathan as symbolic just as he stressed that he approved the issuance of the letters of employment by the board even without meeting laid down procedures in order not to embarrass the president.
Magaji disclosed this when he appeared before the House of Representatives ad-hoc Committee on Victims of Nigeria Immigration Service stampede.
The permanent secretary accused the presidential committee of not involving the Interior ministry as well as unilaterally directing the CFIPSB to issue employment letters. He also stated that the ministry did not have funds to pay the wages of 176 beneficiaries and another 2,000 applicants employed earlier in the year by the NIS as funding for their salaries was not included in the ministry's 2014 budget.
Obviously dissatisfied by the explanation from the permanent secretary, members of the committee took turns to condemn the failure of the ministry, the NIS and the CFIPSB to have fully settled beneficiaries.
Last Thursday, the House of representatives set up a three-man committee comprising Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, Minority Leader, Leo Ogor and Aminu Shagari (Sokoto APC) following protests by families of the victims at the National Assembly.
The protesters had stated the pledge by President Jonathan to employ three persons from the families of the deceased, and to give automatic employment to those who were injured was yet to be fulfilled.
