Encomium
The tragedy that characterised the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment test which held on Saturday, March 15, 2014, still remains an items on the lips of many Nigerians.
Those that ENCOMIUM Weekly sought their reactions lampooned the government and the organisers of the ill-fated exercise which claimed 19 lives, all at a time…
TEMITOPE ABIOLA
People are seriously losing it. They are fast forgetting God and pursuing money. The love of money is greed. We all need to go back to God, mend our ways. If we do, God is able to add every other thing to us.
YETUNDE ODUNUGA
I think government has pushed a lot of people to the wall, that is why they are looking for alternative means of survival. Government should rise to its responsibilities.
SUNNY EKEH
It is crazy to think of the ways people lose their lives. In 2009, more than 20 people died in a careless accident like that. Now, another 15 people, including seven pregnant women died. It is really bad that the Nigerian economic situation has turned us into graduate hustlers. On a good day, graduates are supposed to just apply for jobs and if they are qualified, they are called for interview.
They don’t have to bring the whole Nigeria in a place to kill some of them. They could have written that test online.
I will say it is in two ways, government and the applicants. The government because they allowed the citizens to suffer anyhow, no job. Even when they announced the 30,000 vacancies, the government gets 29,000 of the vacancies leaving more than 1 million Nigerians to struggle for the remaining 1,000. That is why we have too many unemployed Nigerians.
I can also blame some applicants for not trying to do something on their own without depending on government job. If something is not done fast, the unemployment situation in Nigeria can only explode. There will be more violence, terrorism, killings and a lot of other criminal acts. It is a big shame on our leaders and very dangerous for our economy.
ADESHOLA OPEYEMI
It was a very pathetic situation. The country needs to arise to its responsibility. Innocent lives should not be wasted like that. Government should rise to its responsibilities. I will blame the government the most. They are not bothered about the plight of the masses. There is so much corruption in the leadership cadre of the country.
I will also blame some of those applicants. When they saw such a crowd, some of them should have gone back to their homes. Government should reduce the rate of unemployment in Nigeria. If not, the situation will get worse.
BUNMI ADEWALE
This is a disgrace to our country. Youths should not go through such a torment before getting jobs. No one in particular is to blame because they have their faults.
The government knows the number of jobs they are giving out to youths and kept selling more than the number of forms needed for them to extort money from desperate youths.
It will increase the rate of poverty, robbery and miscreants.
TOSIN AJAYI
It is barbaric and a slap on the integrity of this big country. It really shows how poverty has eaten deep into this society.
The officials of Nigerian Immigration Service could be blamed, due to the fact that they knew they wouldn’t employ as many people they sold out forms. But they went ahead to conduct test for all of them.
There are many dangers of unemployment for this country. The future of many of the youths is at stake thereby posing as threat to the development of this country.
OYEBODE FUNMI
It’s not worth it. Some people left some important schedule for the interview yet their efforts were wasted. NIS actually knew the number of people they were going to employ, yet they sold out forms to numerous people.
I will look at it from both angles. The government could actually be blamed due to their inability to provide jobs for the youths. They should provide more job opportunities for the youths.
The applicants also have their own fault. Some of them were greedy and impatient. Some of the applicants had jobs but wanted to join the Immigration Service at all costs with the belief that they would get more money from bribery. It portends corruption, stealing, hooliganism and idleness.
SOLAPE JEGEDE
It shows the high rate of unemployment in the country. It is sad. I think both parties should be blamed. The applicants for being impatient and the government for short-listing so many people. If I had attended the interview and saw the crowd, I would have gone back home.
Government should have done the test in batches on different days, not at once. Unemployment poses a lot of danger to the country. The higher the rate of unemployment, the higher the rate of criminal activities.
IBIKUNLE OLWASEUN
It was a sad incident, and I think it shows the high rate of unemployment in Nigeria at the moment. The Nigerian Immigration Service should be blamed. They shouldn’t have shortlisted thousands of people for the position.
There are many dangers of unemployment. An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.
KABIRU ONITOLO
It is barbaric and uncalled for. They just wasted innocent lives. Both parties should be blamed. If I saw that kind of crowd, I will go back home.
Even at other job interviews, you will see many applicants and at the end they just employ very few.
AYOBAMI BAMIDELE
I feel it is national madness. It is also a big disgrace to Nigeria as a whole. Both are to be blamed. The applicants should be able to tell between a real job and a fake one. Some of these youths already have good jobs but due to selfishness, they want a job that would fetch them more money.
A country where there is no job creation for the youths should expect nothing but continuous crime.
DR. ARIYO
It is very stupid. The crowd was enough to put one off! They are both to blame and Nigeria Immigration Service has a greater percentage. They knew how many applicants they wanted. The exam should be in batches not the same day.
BUNMI FOLARIN
The incident was terrible, but I think it could have been averted if it was well organized. The organizers and government are to blame. It was not the fault of the applicants.
However, the whole thing boils down to the high level of unemployment the country is passing through. Our government at all levels should learn a big lesson from the pathetic occurrence and work towards creating job opportunities for the youths without going through unnecessary stress.
RAPH ASIFAT
It was bad. I don’t even want to talk about it again. It shows the level of unseriousness our country can tolerate. The stampede could have been avoided if the venue was larger. Also, they should have shortlisted successful candidates via internet instead of causing unnecessary stress for the applicants.
I think government should provide more jobs and encourage entrepreneurship.
FELIX OWOTALE
It is stupid and foolish for this to be happening in Nigeria. It is a sign that the end time is near. I think one of the reasons this happened is because the citizens are very poor. Some can’t afford three square meals a day. The government is to be blamed.
