Last November, the world woke up to the shocking news of resignation by the Latvian Prime Minister, Valdis Dombrovskis. He threw in the towel after accepting political responsibility for the collapse of a supermarket roof that killed 54 people. According to reports, possible causes of the collapse include flawed design of the building, use of substandard construction materials and corruption.
Dombrovskis achieved unprecedented success as Latvia’s leader. He especially lifted the Baltic nation out of economic recession and positioned it as the fastest growing in the European Union (EU) for two years. This and many other feats earned Dombrovskis re-appointment twice, but when the tragedy occurred,he threw in the towel and stepped down.
Last month, Egyptian interim Prime Minister, Hazem El-Beblawi and his entire cabinet resigned from office, following widespread criticism of his government. The denunciation of El-Beblawi’s government peaked after strikes in industrial cities and widespread blackout. His resignation was in response to popular demand, having failed to meet the expectations of the people. Mr El-Beblawi summoned the courage and resigned from office.
Last February, Indian Naval Chief, Admiral DK Joshi, stepped down after a submarine accident off the Mumbai coast. The accident, which was the 10th mishap involving an Indian naval asset and the third submarine accident in seven months, resulted in injuries of seven sailors and two officers declared missing. Joshi had about two years for his tenure to be expired but he took responsibility for the disaster and resigned from office.
Back to Nigeria, on Saturday, March 16, 2014, there was a tragedy that drew public outcry. The recruitment by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) turned bloody; no fewer than 18 lives were lost in stampede that marred the exercise across various centres. From Abuja to Jos to Benin to Minna, it was tales of sorrows.
The exercise was badly organised as no fewer than 700,000 people turned up to fill less than 5,000 vacancies. Among the dead included five women while scores of people were injured. It was learnt that the security officials were overwhelmed by the crowd, such that controlling it became a problem and this resulted in security operatives firing gunshots into the air, which witnesses said caused the stampede.
The Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, who supervised the exercise, blamed the “impatient” applicants for the tragedy. Public outrage greeted the minister’s ill-thought, with many calling for his sack or resignation. But typical of the Nigerian public official, Moro has refused to throw in the towel. Alas, his boss, President Goodluck Jonathan, rejected the call to fire him.
Natural disasters such as earthquake, flood and land slides are occurrences, which, at times, we don’t have control over. However, for man-made tragedies, people should learn to take responsibility. Just the same way a government inherits assets and liabilities, the head of an agency takes the credit for the success or otherwise of the organisation. But this is not so in Nigeria.
The Moro’s comment added salt to the injury of family members, who were grieving the loss of their relations. For anyone, much less a public official, to come out and blame the deceased for causing their own deaths is not only bizarre but insensitive. In saner climes, Moro would be morally wrong to stay beyond 24 hours on his seat after the tragedy. But, this is Nigeria where public feelings are inconsequential.
A lot of questions are begging for answers because of the controversies surrounding the unfortunate exercise. Who appointed the recruitment firm for the exercise? How much went to the NIS as money realised from the applicants? Is it true that the minister did not carry the NIS and its board members along in the recruitment? These and many more are begging for answers.
Not a few people have said President Jonathan is not likely to sack Moro because the minister is a political son of the Senate President David Mark, who is a loyalist of the president. But if the president could sack a minister (Stella Oduah), who had corruption charges on her neck, why not Moro, who is painting his administration in bad light.
Public officials see their positions as birthright. This is why they reject all moral persuasion to leave office after misconduct and believe they are being brought down by ‘enemies’. Ours is a country where even if the masses say the service of a public official is no longer needed, once the ‘oga at the top’ does not gauge the public feeling, such calls fall on deaf ears. Public service should be seen as an opportunity to serve the people. It is a position of trust. When people lose such trust in any officer, such person does not have the moral right to remain in office.
It is high time the government considered the need to build institutions and culture of responsibility. The immigration recruitment exercise has rubbished the sanctimonious platitude of government, which keeps misinforming us that unemployment rate was reducing daily. The fact of that statement was seen in the NIS recruitment exercise with a tumultuous crowd of unemployed youths packed in stadia.
Will Jonathan muster the political will to fire Moro? Will Senator Mark save his friend? Will Moro take the honourable path of resignation? Only time will tell.
Abiola, recently finished from Veterinary Medicine, FUNAAB
