Along
with the Nigeria Prison Service (NPS), Nigeria Fire Service (NFS), the
Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the NIS is overseen by
the Ministry of Interior. As such, the minister is seen as complicit in
the recruitment sham that has led to the death of scores of unemployed
youths.
Outraged
by the incidence, there have been calls from many quarters, including
the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for the sack of the
Comptroller General of the NIS, Mr David Parradang and the minister for
failing to adequately manage the recruitment process. The public is
particularly infuriated by the minister’s comments in reaction to the
situation, in which he attributed the unfortunate incident to the
impatience of the candidates.
“They did not follow the laid down procedures spelt out to them before the exercise,” he said.
However,
this is not the first time that the former lecturer will be embroiled
in a scandal since he was appointed minister in 2011. In 2012, civil
society group the National Anti-Terrorism and Peace Network (NATPW)
accused him of arms smuggling. Their allegation, NATPW said, was based
on intelligence reports it received from the State Secret Service (SSS)
suggesting that the minister had been secretly smuggling arms into the
country.
The
minister however dismissed the allegation as mere fiction. Having held
several public positions in the past, he is accustomed to being in the
news, for good or bad.
Before
he appeared on the national scene, Comrade Moro was a popular
politician in Benue State and was elected chairman of Okpokwu Local
Government Council in 1998, a position he held till 2006.
Comrade Moro was born on 3rd July, 1958 and is from Okwungaga, Ugbokolo District of Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue.
“I
was not born to an aristocratic family or too rich a family,” he said
in an interview with the Daily Independent. “I was open to the stark
reality of poverty and hardship. But in between I actually developed
this penchant for fighting for the welfare of everybody including my
humble self because I believe very sincerely that God has been so kind
to me, moving me from one level or the other to higher level.”
He
attended LGEA Primary School Odessassa, Emmanuel Secondary School,
Ugbokolo, then went to the Federal Government College, Kano for his
Higher School Certificate Programme in 1975. Afterwards, he proceeded to
the University of Lagos, where he obtained a Secondary Class Division
in Political Science in 1980. He did his National Youth Service Corp
(NYSC) in Kwara State, at the Baptist Grammar School, Igbaja.
In
1980, he was enrolled at the University of Lagos Post Graduate School,
where he obtained a Masters of Public Administration. He obtained
another Master of Science of Public Administration, from the University
of Nigeria, Nsukka.
In
1983, he was appointed as a lecturer in the Benue State Polytechnic,
Ugbokolo and held several academic positions in the polytechnic and
eventually became the National President of Polytechnic Senior Staff of
Nigeria. Within the period Comrade Patrick Abba Moro was also appointed
the Chairman Governing Council, College of Education, Oju between 1991 -
1993.
He
contested for the Benue State Governorship election in the 2007 general
elections under the platform of Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP), and
was a coordinator for the PDP Presidential Campaign in Benue State
during the elections.
In
2011 became the Director General of the David Mark Campaign
Organization following which he was appointed as the Minister of
Interior. He is married with children.
As the saga of the NIS recruitment exercise unfolds, it remains to be seen if he would be able to hold on to his position.
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