#NigeriaImmigration2000: FG To Begin Re-screening Of 2000 Immigration Recruits.

The Federal Government has said it would from August 29 commence the re-screening of 2,000 recruits of the Nigeria Immigration Service NIS who were “dispersed” after being trained and issued employment letters in February last year.

 

Announcing this in a statement issued Monday in Abuja, spokesman of the NIS, Ekpedeme King said the decision was reached in the aftermath of an emergency meeting of the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration, and Prisons Services Board (CDFIPB) on the 11th of August 2016. The service however listed several guidelines for the screening of the applicants. Apart from the necessary security clearance, they would also undergo a drug-test, certificate verification as well as the implementation of CDFIPB policy on “Age on Rank”.

 

Part of the statement reads; “The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) wishes to inform the 2000 applicants for employment into the Service who were irregularly issued letters of employment in February, 2015 that the Federal Government has approved the review of the case. “Following an emergency meeting of the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration, and Prisons Services Board (CDFIPB) on the 11th of August 2016, the following guidelines were issued for the screening of the applicants: “Consequent on the above, applicants whose names are listed in the NIS website: www.immigration.gov.ng are requested to report to the NIS Headquarters Abuja with their academic certificates, birth certificate, previous employment records (if any), indigene certificates (originals and photocopies), two passport photographs, and in batches according to the time-table”.

 

By the schedule, Assistant Superintendent of Immigration II, ASI2 (CONPASS 08) from all the states between Abia and Jigawa in alphabetical order would take their turn on August 29 while those that fall between Kaduna and Zamfara states would have theirs on August 30. For Assistant Inspectors of Immigration, AII (CONPASS 06) those from Abia to Jigawa state would sit for the screening on August 31 while those from Kaduna to Zamfara would have theirs on September 1. For Immigration Assistants IA1 – IA3 (CONPASS 3,4,5), those from Abia to Edo states would be screened on September 2, Ekiti to Kwara, September 3 and Lagos to Zamfara, September 4.

 

“The general public should please note that the exercise is not a call for fresh recruitment. Therefore, no application for recruitment should be forwarded to the NIS”, the service warned. After the botched 2014 recruitment into the service the then president, Goodluck Jonathan, instituted a committee to assist the CDFIPB conduct a fresh recruitment. The exercise has since been bugged with controversies following the dispersal of the 2,000 fresh recruits at the advent of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

#NigeriaImmigration2000: “Reinstate Us”, Expelled Recruits Cry Out For Help.

Months after application, selection, and training of new immigration recruits, 2000 of them are still in a confused state in regards to their position in an ongoing recruitment crisis.

 

Documents obtained by Omojuwa.com correspondent revealed that 2000 of these new recruits are being dispersed by the Ministry of Interior on the basis of illegality. It is quite worrisome that the same ministry that facilitated the training of the new recruits in a swift and surprising move turned around to rule them illegal.

 

While majority of the affected recruits have taken to social media to show their grievances, the ministry reiterates its position by not making any move to address the situation.

 

Despite calling the new recruits illegal, exclusive documents obtained by Omojuwa.com clearly shows that they all underwent a proper screening/training exercise carried out by the immigration service under the ministry of interior. This present situation poses a huge question which no one is answering; “Where does the illegality come in?”

 

A dangerous trend is being set and of course will have it’s own negative effects.

 

Months back, there was a secret recruitment scandal that rocked the Central Bank of Nigeria, Federal Inland Revenue Services and Nigerian National Petroleum Company. These antecedents is fueling a suspicion that this latest development is as a result of a new recruitment racketeering plan as the ministry is yet to give a tenable reason for the laying off.

 

The hashtag #NigeriaImmigration2000 is already trending on Social Media Platforms demanding not only explanations to the ill-advised decision of the ministry of interior but also a reinstatement of the sent off recruits.

 

If truly the immigration service needs 25, 000 recruits to effective man our borders, this fact begs the question; “why then are we laying off 2000 recruits especially when they have gone through examinations and training?

 

The demand is clear cut and simple; FG should reverse the decision to disperse these 2000 trained immigration recruits. In a country that has a high population of unemployed youths, such decisions will have not just destructive but catastrophic effects on the nation.