For The Archives: Imigration-2000 Makes Fresh Demands For Re-Absorption

The embattled 2000 youths employed by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) in May 2015 being re-screened for possible re-appointment have demanded that their new appointment letters should reflect the initial effective date in the first letters issued to by the Service.

They have also demanded that the new policy of tying age to ranks should not apply to them, just as they want their salaries paid from the month they were given the first appointment up to date, that is, 15 months.

Mrs. Aisha Yesufu, one of the organisers of the group’s protest movement known as Immigration-2000, stated this in a telephone interview with our correspondent in Abuja.

According to her, the affected employees anchor their demands on the facts that they were genuinely recruited, trained, given uniforms of the Service and appointment letters since May 2015, as the effective date. She argued further that, it was not their fault for not being placed on the jobs, thus the new demands should be addressed.

The latest development followed dialogue between the affected recruits and the Headquaters of the Service in Abuja, wherein amicable solutions were worked out to resolve the matter.

The Nigerian Immigration Service announced the solutions to include fresh screening of the 2000 embattled recruits, matching age to ranks and paying salaries to those who would succeed in the screening from the new effective date of appointment, instead of from May 2015.

The NIS stated that the 2000 persons were recruited by the management of the NIS without formal approval by the board of the Service, as stipulated by the Act setting up the Service, hence the withdrawal of the appointments.

But according to Mrs. Yusufu, the reason for the withdrawal and the new conditions given by the Service did not go down well with, the Immigration-2000, whom she described as law-abiding and patriotic Nigerians who deserve to be rewarded equitably for the periods been kept without benefits, after training.

She further said that the conditions are new policies that were not in place when the applicants were first given appointments in 2015, hence should not apply to them, but those that were employed this after them.

The dialogue was called as a result of several days of road protests in Abuja as well as sit-outs at the Aso Rock Junction, by the 2000 employees, who were barred by armed mobile policemen from entering the gate of the Presidential Villa.

During the protests, one of the organizers, Mr. Sesugha Akume, told our correspondent in Abuja, that the appointments of 2000 persons were abruptly and unlawfully withdrawn by the NIS in August 20, 2015, without proper explanation.

He said efforts by the victims to get clarifications from various state commands failed, as the commands merely said that the Headquarters of the Service directed them to disperse the 2000 employees.

Mr. Akume said since then, the group embarked on series of protest to the Ministry of Interior and National Assembly, adding that the House of Representatives issued a resolution in April 12, 2016 which called on the NIS to urgently re-instate the 2000 employees, but to no avail.

He argued that the 2000 persons in question were genuinely employed after the controversial and tragic recruitment exercise carried out by the NIS, noting that some of the persons given compensatory appointments in place of their relations who died or got maimed by the tragedy are among the Immigration-2000.

The organizers of the group have called on the NIS to settle the matter with sincerity as the victims are bonafide Nigerians.

NOTE: This story had been used before in another off line medium at the time of the case.