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How Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS Killed 20 Job Applicants In A Day
March 16, 2014 – How Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS Killed 20 Unemployed Youths / Job Seekers In A Day By Gbenga Olajuyigbe
‘The greatest danger to a civilised nation is a man who has no stake in it, and nothing to lose by rejecting all that civilisation stands for’- Henry Ford
One of the indicators of war time I have come to accept as a fact is that, ‘in peace time, children bury their parents. In war time, parents bury their children’. If you are still doubting that we are in war time, ask the parents of the students killed in Buni –Yadi, Yobe State; ask the mothers and fathers of those killed across the Country at Stadia, where they have innocently gone to struggle for survival in a country that thrives on ‘survival of rogues’! They have the most harrowing duty of burying their children. This has also become ubiquitous tragic duty of many Nigerians in the recent time.
The suspension of common sense by the Nigeria Immigration Service has once again driven home breathtaking severity of unemployment in Nigeria and the kinetic impotence of the Nigerian Government to secure, protect and preserve its people, especially the youth. After ripping off hundreds of thousands of unemployed Nigerian youth of one thousand Naira each in a nauseating allusion to service failure by a government agency via a deception of a job opening, it has now vicariously killed at least twenty(20) of them in a stampede caused by indiscretion.
Just in this last one week, close to one thousand Nigerians and residents lost their lives; 20 vicariously killed by the Nigeria Immigration Service at the Stadia across the Country, 100 Killed in Southern Kaduna, 106 killed in Katsina, over 200 Boko Haram members allegedly killed by the soldiers. Blood continue to flow in the Benue/Nassarawa Axis, it is worse in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States. Yet, this bunch of irredeemably failed leaders does not know that Nigeria is at war. Nigeria is at war with her youth. Nigeria is at war with her women and even with her men, who hope to get a decent burial from the children they are now succeeding. Instead of sitting straightly to face the questions that drove us into society, they are theorizing and politicking. To them, excuse has become tool for governance; imaginary political opponents are sacrificial lambs for gross incompetence.
If you compare Nigeria with UK, they will tell you that it has taken UK centuries to develop. If with India, they will tell you that it is because of population advantage. The quantum of electricity we need to live like human beings in Nigeria is not up to what Calcuta in India, a fragment will need. Imagine what a twenty thousand megawatts of electricity could have done to the lives of over five hundred thousand youth that gather at the ‘ open grave’ prepared for them by the Nigeria Immigration Service in term of self – employment?
I can not blame the youth that died while seeking to live; in a society where nothing is left again to tincture the conscience of ‘rulers’. Those who are no longer moved by spilling of human blood can never be moved by the sight of morbid unemployment that has been afflicting our youth. Oil Spillage in Ogoni or UNEP Report did and does not move them. Over 40,000 Nigerian refugees in Niger and displacement of over 500,000 Nigerians are to them mere figures. Those who declared that corruption is not a prime problem in Nigeria will never understand your problem with the alleged missing of $20 Million in NNPC. They will never see the nexus between deprivation and disenchantments. The connection between oppression and resistance is beyond their mental comprehension. The relationship between humongous poverty in the midst of plenty and violence is far beyond a man who keeps on beating his chest from Davos to Washington that the policy of his government has produced the richest man in Africa, not minding critical concern of the other 500,000 unemployed citizens struggling to fill 1000 job vacancies.
A President that continues to say that Nigeria will not disintegrate without working toward that is living in ‘Crusoe Island’ or ‘Disney Land’, Nigeria has not physically broken into pieces; mentally. She has! Ethnicity, religiosity and nepotism have re-defined loyalty. Ethnicity and nepotism have shrunk spaces of opportunity and by extension, stifle development. The fratricidal badges of Hausa, Igbo, Fulani, Ijaw, Yoruba, Itsekiri among others are the burden we have unleashed on ourselves through political greed, economic gluttony and power profiteering. We have no more space for humanity! These are yokes we can not break until we return to the cubicle of our conscience to locate the purposes of leadership and citizenship. A ruler who keeps on moving from one church to the other like Pharisee without learning how Jesus Christ chased Marauders (thieves or robbers) out of the Church, telling them that ‘ my father’s house shall be called the House of Prayer, not the Den of Robbers’ can never build a just state.
The race into society from Thomas Hobbes’ State of Nature, where life was ‘short, brutish and nasty’ envisaged that society/state must take up some responsibilities if life must become safe, secure and pleasant. Hobbes anchored his postulation on the Social Contract, the thread that ties state to duty and the open vista of security to people who have necessarily sundered their rights in exchange for expected welfare and security. Hence, having conceded the limitless ‘rights’ or might in the state of nature to the state, the state can no longer discharge itself of this onerous responsibility on which the faith of people in it is built. The Social Contract shifts society away from the Covenant of Blood! It protects people against bloodletting and ensures that those who attempt it gets due sanctions. It replaced ‘Might’ with ‘Right’, persecution with protection and cruelty with humanity! Whether through state carelessness or negligence when a group or sect assumes and asserts the right to kill, citizens automatically lose the privilege to live! I say, ‘privilege to live, not right to live.’ The ‘right’ is already gone with the wind that ends with a state’s capacity for protection.
A country where tomorrow has become a nightmare has lost the capacity to regenerate herself. Until the youth, who are the future of that country stop singing God’s song in strange land; hope is far. The youth must take active interest in the affairs of Nigeria if we must end ‘Boko Haram’ and ‘State Haram’. If the impunity that has taken liberty away from Nigerians must be defeated, the youth must be the frontline soldiers. I sympathise with the killed, the dead and the wounded. I will never pity the living because like George Sutherland, ‘the saddest epitaph which can be carved in memory of a vanished liberty is that it was lost because its possessors failed to stretch forth a saving hand while yet there was time’! Arise, o ‘compatriots, Nigeria call, obey!
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Wale Ijaya
March 16, 2014 at 1:38 AM
brilliant article @ author
the director of immigration services should be fired for this
Asiwaju Olu Mayungbe
March 16, 2014 at 1:54 AM
I write to commend the writer of the aforementioned piece squarely. The write-up is through, well thought, and brilliantly written. Mr. Olajuyigbe is well read and a brilliant writer. Nigeria needs more of you. Pleas continue to motivate the youths because we need a massive revolution in that hopeless country. The time to commence with the plan to rescue the nation from the hands of self centered heartless leaders or politicians is now!I will send him a personal e-mail. l am very impressed with his writing. My people, please stop glorifying politicians. They are not rich. They are thieves lavishing your wealth while you are languishing in abject poverty. They are suffering from poverty of the mind.
Chizzy baby
March 16, 2014 at 2:12 AM
The head of NIS must lose his job for this
rip to those students
Omokehinde
March 16, 2014 at 3:52 AM
First, my condolences to the families of those great Nigerians that lost their previous lives in search of jobs. I cried bitterly and my heart is greatly battered for this ugly incidents where twelve innocent Nigerians suddenly loss their lives in their own country for simply seeking for job opportunities. This is a shame of a nation and it also a matter that needs urgent attention from Nigerian political leaders at all levels of governments. The issue of unemployment among Nigerian youths is a matter national security, Nigeria image among nations of the world, economic prosperity and advancement, and self-esteem among our youths. We have a do-nothing president who had failed Nigerian people in all areas. President Badluck Jonathan will rather buys series of unneeded presidential jets rather than embarking on national rebuilding that will eventually pave way to job creation. We also have criminal senators and representatives in both “Houses of Looters” who specializes in looting our national treasury. We also have criminal governors from all the geo-political regions of the nation that care less about the affairs and the needs of ordinary Nigerians. All of these criminal politicians send their own children to universities in the U.S, Canada and Europe while Nigerian universities and other higher institutions of learning have been crippled by constant ASUU strikes. They pay themselves Millions of dollars in salaries and allowances but cannot pay our teachers, professors, police officers, doctors, judges the salaries and allowances they all deserve. Nigerian people are no more respected anywhere in the world because of the actions and inactions of our criminal political leaders. A Nigerian brother was brutally beaten in South Africa because we are not wanted in that nation.
Unemployment among Nigerian youths is a matter of national security, and its deserve urgent attention. Most of our able but unemployed youths in the North have dragged into terrorist groups like Boko Haram. Some of our finest but jobless youths in the Southern region have been dragged into deadly groups like kidnappers, armed robbery groups, hired assassin groups, ritualists because they were not fully engaged. When youngsters are not engaged or jobless, they become easy targets to evil elements who use them for their evil agenda like Boko Haram, ritualists, Kidnappers, armed robbers just to mention a few. It is true that no government agency or agencies like Nigeria Immigration Service can creates jobs for its unemployed youths. It is so shameful that more than one millions able youths from different parts of the country show up to complete for 3,000 job openings with NIS. However, reasonable and good government can create a conductive environment for the private sector to flourish so that millions of good paying jobs can be created for most of our youths. Nigeria inability to generate and supply 24 hours uninterrupted electricity is an hindrance to economic prosperity. The private sector is the largest employer of people anywhere in the world, but our visionless political leaders care less to stabilize and solve this problem so that both domestic and foreign investors can invest in our country and create jobs for our able youths. Another hindrance to job creation is political instability in Nigeria. We live in a country where politicians do whatever to stay in power or get elected into office. They can cause religious unrest, tribal conflicts, and even instigates one tribe against another to achieve their goals. This is also very shameful. Security issue in Nigeria is another hindrance to job creation in Nigeria. Foreign investors will not invest billions of dollars in a country that can not protect her own citizens. Our law enforcement officers such as police officers, custom officers, immigration officers are not properly trained and their salaries is nothing to talk about. Another hindrance to job creation in Nigeria is our decaying infrastructures in very state of the federation. Our airports, seaports, roads, rail tracks, and bridges are not of standards that call for foreign investments. The layback president, senators, representatives, various state governors, ministers and all our elected officials should cover their ugly faces in shame. But it not too late for these criminal leaders to embark on national rebuilding so that our youths can be empowered. Failure to do this will one day results to bloody revolution that will bring an end to gross corruption and insensitive of our criminal political leaders at all levels of government. Here I rest my case.
Beam
March 16, 2014 at 5:24 AM
Awesome mind bugging piece
AK
March 16, 2014 at 8:24 AM
It is shameful for NIS to deliberately murdered this innocent young Nigerians. For those that really knows how this failed system works. All those scrambling inside this stadium can never get a single slot as the positions are already filled by the friends and families of this same people collecting application forms money from this unsuspecting but innocent citizens.
Civil services positions are bought and sold and are on recommendations of who knows who. Publicly deceiving this innocent and unsuspecting young Nigerians makes my heart bleed. Many years ago when I went for recruitment into the Nigerian army after the training exercise the provost announced openly that if anyone has a letter of recommendation they should bring them out and surprisingly the guy beside me brought out a letter he said he got from a serving General. The same old system is still the order of the day. Every single member that will be accepted by NIS is already known let the Director of NIS come out before man and before God to deny this.
The system of governance and leadership in this country needs total cleansing. May the soul of the dead ones rest in peace and surely their blood will be on the leaders of this great nation.
stephen
March 16, 2014 at 9:41 AM
This is a critical reflection of a philosopher king on the way forward for a country wandering in the labyrinth of comatose. A good job Sir!
Marilyn Andrew
March 16, 2014 at 9:48 AM
Its so sad Nja is not moving forward.truly the masses are suffering.
Abi
March 16, 2014 at 12:36 PM
Actually the reason the NIS is in the spotlight now is because people died. The immigration service is not the first to ‘sell’ application forms to long-unemployed young persons. In fact, as far as I know, most state governments in Nigeria does, virtually every teaching hospital in the country does – and it amazes me why people will be made to pay to apply for a job. That being said, I completely share the sentiments of Gbenro in this write-up. I seriously think it’s about time we started asking our leaders crucial questions and stop being lethargic!
henry
March 16, 2014 at 4:45 PM
I love Nigeria their country
Metu Nyetu
March 16, 2014 at 9:33 PM
I beg u all dat I may differ! My mind is called 2d first lines of Alexander Pope’s Essay on Criticism, which st8 as follows:
‘Tis hard 2say if greater want of skill
Appear in writing or in judging ill.
I had2quote dis cos we Nigerians can blame & blame again…………& still blame.
Looking@d way evry Tom, Dick & Akpos now talks against d NIS & its boss, I’v wonderd weda anybdy had actually, & objectivly, analysd wat transpired. Is it not also posibl dat dis un4tun8 incident resulted frm poor conduct on d part of d applicants? A lady, speakn in d church I attended 2day in PH, said dat as soon as d g8 of d stadium wz opend, ppl rushd in as if d g8 would jam close again in next to no time, & dat led 2d stampede dat ensued diz deaths we’r nw dealing wit. My frnd also told me dat he stayd bak during d rush, & walkd in like a big boy wen d whole heat had fizzled out.
Now If u think d NIS is absolutely reprensibl, den could u pls suggest wat course they may take 2moro 2 avoid a repeatation. Finding blames, u’ll believ wit me, is a measure against recrudescence. But dat is only wen d right thing is blamed.
Patrick Obahiagbon
March 16, 2014 at 9:41 PM
This peregrinates a long way to expose the inquom kiziqui & jagged pinyaxophy in our legal & political firmamment.
Anguscity
March 17, 2014 at 12:58 PM
Nigeria leaders mal-treat her own youth as if they are in foreign land.Nigerian youth wake up for revolution now, instead suffering & smiling wil continue.
rob
March 17, 2014 at 3:50 PM
Millions of Youths in Nigeria competing with 3,000 jobs in a single agency, this is epitome of sufferingcracy and political labalul of a nation’s government. At the end of activities, Agency and the Leaders took their vows of blood in numbers.I think this is ritualistic and gambling-caucus projection. I am very sorry for the lost ones.Meanwhile, the simple way to handle such a massive applications and applicants is for the Agency to design new site for the project for each and individual interested in the job to LOG-IN into the site at their finest time to write the APTITUDE TEST AND GET YOUR RESULT INSTANTLY ONLINE and the site should be open for the TEST for minimum of 3months.(TAKE NOTE FOR FUTURE NEED). This little platform would have safe millions of life, safe and secure life of applicants and reduce Expenditures of the Agency. Why leaders in all agency in Nigeria always looking at gains side of project they want to embark upon than assign much on Safety, Security, Credibility, Merit and Good performance. How can the agency measures the MERIT AND PERFORMANCE OF EACH AND INDIVIDUAL OF APPLICANTS THAT SAT FOR THE TEST IN WILDERNESS ATMOSPHERE..? I think this is Enlist Corporate jamborees and political networking that WE ARE WORKING AS GOVT. AGENCY.
The leadership of NIS and their co-Consultancy Firms really failed Nigerians particularly Youths that strongly to have something doing in order to gain a living. What is the purpose of NIS hired Consultants with Millions of Naira without having the credibility,ability and safety thinking of handling the project. The Nigeria Government need to abolished selling of Job application form for Nigerians applying for job in Federal Agency and at all level of government and to me, its stand as accumulation siphoned of youths/job applicants petty cash and also it is a major corruption, when you are already know at the back of the file that you can’t offer all of them that job.PLEASE LET THERE BE CHANGED AND OFFER NIGERIANS A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT TO LIVE. Shalom……Lover of Nigerians…