By James Sunday, FCAI, MNIIA
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has put in place every structure necessary for efficient and effective border security. But the critical question remains: what is the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the lead agency in charge, doing to consolidate and validate the President’s good intentions?
Border security is a three-layer project: control before entry, control at the point of entry, and control after entry. What does this connote? It means the NIS must live up to its mandate
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The Nigerian passport is a vital tool for controlling the exit and departure of citizens. With the available data on Nigerians, the NIS has sufficient information to monitor and apprehend citizens who risk bringing the country into disrepute through illicit activities or criminal records. Yet, questions linger: what is wrong with the NIS watchlist, suspect index, and tracking of politically exposed persons and individuals with cases under ICPC, EFCC, DSS, and the Nigerian Police Force, who still manage to travel freely?
The introduction of biometric capture was meant to address such lapses and other immigration-related offences. But the bigger issue is whether the service has patriotic officers, dedicated supervisors, focused and visionary executives who are experienced and well-grounded in the system.
The NIS, as a border security outfit, needs a complete overhaul. Whether Mr. President chooses to bring in an administrator who is conversant and experienced will determine its success. Such a choice would do more good than leaving the service in the hands of those caged by inexperience and unable to manage a professional security agency like the NIS. Many senior officers in the service today must step up and upgrade their skills to meet the standards of their global contemporaries. They cannot remain docile; they must become professional.
Mr. President should think outside the box and appoint solution providers. Consider this: the CERPAC (Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card) is the lifeline of investment and expatriate confidence in Nigeria, yet it is eroding due to system failure, lack of functionality, extortion, and abuses. This has driven investors toward neighbouring countries. Nigeria, with over 240 million people and strong diaspora remittances, cannot afford to be “Big Brother Africa” without reaping the benefits. Our foreign impact should reflect positively on our economic, political, and social development.
The passport is only one tool, and it concerns citizens alone. However, visas, CERPAC, and diplomatic issues are critical to sustaining Nigeria’s growth and development. Emphasis must be placed on investment and Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs), not propaganda hinged solely on passports. While the passport is a national issue, visas and CERPAC are international and global. The NIS must rise to its mandate and not be weakened or politicised by the Ministry of Interior.
The Ministry of Interior oversees the NSCDC, Correctional Service, Fire Service, and Immigration Service. Why, then, is it focused mainly on Immigration, the cash cow? Nigerians deserve to know the progress made in arresting prisoners from previous jailbreaks, in strengthening civil defence, modernising the fire service, and ensuring safe borders. Infrastructure and contractual projects are not enough when glaring gaps remain in service delivery.