Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Patrick Moro, has pleaded with Nigerians, particularly families that were affected by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment tragedy, to forgive him, saying that, as a father, it could not have been a deliberate act.
Moro reiterated his earlier position that he took full responsibility for what happened as the presiding minister, adding that the tragic loss of lives at the event “is a personal loss to me.”
He said, in a chat with journalists at the weekend that his intention was genuine but “unfortunately the exercise turned tragic.”
He said: “I think that I will ordinarily ask Nigerians for understanding in this matter; understanding the intention, understanding the motive behind the whole thing of an open, transparent recruitment exercise that is the first of its kind into the services of Interior Ministry that was intended primarily to give employment to Nigerians irrespective of their backgrounds, connections, contacts in government or the business circles.”
According to him, the exercise was meant to intend “to correct all the ills of the past and give everybody an open opportunity to get employment.”
“For me, like I said, it is a personal loss because the exercise, in the first place, took place within the Ministry of Interior, organised by the Ministry and its services and so whatever consequences, positive or negative, that have come and in this instances, negative, out of it certainly, I take full responsibility.”
“I am not a member of the steering committee and so I could not have disagreed with the suggestion of the steering committee when I am not a member.”
