Medical doctors seeking employment in Saudi Arabia were on Thursday, dispersed by operatives of the Department of State Services, at the Sheraton Hotels, Abuja, thereby denying the aspirants access in participating in the recruitment interview organized by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health.
Medical consultants in their hundreds converged at the Ladi Kwali Hall of the hotel to take part in the recruitment, while another exercise was scheduled for Thursday.
According to The PUNCH, the DSS operatives arrived at the hotel on Thursday morning and abruptly dismissed the doctors and journalists, who gathered at the venue.
A journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, Marcus Fatunde, was arrested at the venue.
He was, however, granted freedom afterward.
According to an eyewitness account, “When I came here, we saw the DSS operatives dispersing the people that came for the interview and before we knew it, everywhere had been scattered.
“A journalist with the ICIR, Marcus Fatunde, was also arrested, but he has been released.”
A doctor, who did not want his name in print said, “Some of us, who came here today, came because we don’t even have jobs and we don’t want to do the wrong things.
“Two categories of people were here today: the jobless ones and the ones who are poorly remunerated.
“We didn’t commit any crime; we just wanted a better system. So, why is the government trying to frustrate us?
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The PUNCH reports that the Vice-President, Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, Adejo Arome, stated that the organizers of the interview confirmed to him that the exercise had been suspended.
He said, “Well, some people got to the venue today (Thursday) and when they didn’t meet anyone, they called me and I confirmed from the recruiters and some other doctors that the recruitment has been suspended.
“The recruitment on Tuesday garnered coverage, because of the media publicity. It was everywhere that doctors were going to Saudi Arabia.
“The recruiters had to suspend it because the Federal Government said it felt embarrassed by the news.
“It is a big shame. The government has no right to infringe on the right of the citizens to choose to go to another country. If the system is not working, let them go to another country.”
Efforts made to get the reaction of the spokesman for the DSS, Peter Afunanya, did not yield positive results as of the time of filing this report as he did not take his calls and had yet to respond to a message sent to his mobile telephone.
