•Lagos Assembly promises to investigate allegations

Scores of trainees of the SURE-P FERMA Task Force who were clad in black outfits yesterday stormed the Lagos State House of Assembly,  premises on a peaceful protest march against the extortion and fraud carried out against them by some unnamed individuals of the Goodluck Jonathan administration under the pretext of employing them.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Officer Ikon Ikuagwu said the trainees totalling 51, 000 were made to part with various sums of money to buy application forms, identity card capturing, vests, face caps and other accessories totaling over N79,000 under the pretext that they would get federal jobs.
He added that for good three years since 2012, the trainees were made to undergo paramilitary training by agents of the Goodluck Jonathan administration and denied any form of salaries or allowances but promised that they already secured jobs with the FERMA Task Force.
“We parted with the various sums of money because of desperation and joblessness and because we were made to believe that the programme was real because we saw the logo of the Federal Government and adverts on the programme in certain Nigerian newspapers” ,he said.
He named certain individuals who are chieftains of the People Democratic Party (PDP) as being responsible for the collection of the various sums of money from them adding that they have resorted to send a Save Our Soul message to the Lagos State House of Assembly and the Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode to assist them in salvaging the jobs promised them by the Jonathan administration.
Ikon Ikuagwu said in the past three years they have been dehumanized and suffered several losses including many of the female trainees who had miscarriages and many who suffered injuries while crossing the expressway to the training ground.
He warned that presently, majority of the trainees are now roaming the streets having been denied the jobs they were promised by the agents of the Goodluck Jonathan administration and that they constitute a potent danger if not well managed.
He said the trainees are made up different categories of Nigerians and graduates in various fields who were conned by agents of the Jonathan administration and left in the cold with nobody volunteering why the jobs they were promised had disappeared into thin air.
Responding to the appeal by the protesters, the Majority leader, Hon Sanai Agunbiade who was accompanied by Hon Olumuyiwa Jimoh and Hon Segun Olulade said the team had listened attentively to complaints of the protesters which were against some agents of the immediate past Goodluck Jonathan administration and would pass on their message to the Speaker.
He said the House of Assembly had also received the petition of the FERMA SURE-P recruits and would deliberate on the contents before arriving at a decision which would be communicated to the State Governor for further necessary action.
He added that the House of Assembly had granted them audience in line with its constitutional responsibility of always giving a hearing right to all categories of Nigerians who come before it with any form of complaints.