Applicants storm Interior Ministry over immigration job fee HUNDREDs of unemployed youth on Monday, staged a protest at the Federal Ministry of Interior against the payment of N1,000 application fee for the ongoing recruitment into the Nigeria Immigration Service. The protest took several hours, as the Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, was not on hand to address them. The Civil Defence, Immigration, Fire, and Prisons Service Board under the ministry had advertised two weeks ago to inform Nigerians of vacancies in the Immigration Service with condition of N1,000 payment to complete application. However, members of the Federal House of Representatives, on resumption from the recess, kicked against any form of fee paid by applicants for the purpose of recruitment in Nigeria. The House, therefore, passed a resolution stopping the payment of the N1,000 by applicants for the Immigration recruitment. Nigerian Tribune also gathered that recruitment exercise was already generating some disquiet in the service, as competent source said NIS management was not properly informed about the purported recruitment exercise. The source told our reporter that some senior Immigration officers were surprised to see the advert in the dailies. It was further gathered that the unemployed youth, who were not comfortable with the payment, took a peaceful protest to the ministry. A reliable source at the ministry told the Nigerian Tribune that the angry youth were received by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mrs Fatima A. Bamidele, in the company of some directors, who took the leaders of the protesters to her office for explanation. An applicant, Ogunsola John, described the N1,000 payment as unacceptable. “I am pained that I was not informed that such protest will be held today. My brother, I would have led the protest. “How can we be paying for uncertainty? We are not even sure of getting the job.” The Public Relations Officer of NIS, Mr Chukwuemeka Obua, when contacted, said though it was the first time in the history of Immigration recruitment that applicants will be asked to pay, but said that the board might have charge the fee for administrative purposes.