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Tag: NIS

  • NIS clears 60,000 passport backlog in four days – Interior Minister

    NIS clears 60,000 passport backlog in four days – Interior Minister

    Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has revealed that about  60,000 passport backlogs have been cleared within four working days.

    This development was made known by the Media Adviser to the Minister, Babatunde Alao, via a statement on Tuesday.

    He said the interior minister, Tunji-Ojo made the disclosure earlier in the day while receiving the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Beta Edu.

    The minister assured that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s dministration is working round the clock to address the country’s challenges.

    “As of this morning, I can tell you that about 60,000 passport backlogs have been cleared, especially 59,906.

    “On Wednesday, September 6, when I gave the two-week ultimatum, we had over 200,000 backlogs. We have recorded progress, and I keep my word that those backlogs must be cleared”, he said.

    Recall that the minister last Thursday directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to clear all pending passport applications.

    Earlier, Dr Betta Edu, said the visit was informed by the need to extend its hand of partnership to collaborate with the Ministry of Interior as it seeks to drastically reduce human trafficking and other related challenges including poor veterans’ welfare, underemployment and poverty amongst citizens.

    She added that the ministry was in the best position to solve issues of human trafficking as it plays a supervisory role in the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

  • Immigration receives ultimatum to clear all outstanding passports

    Immigration receives ultimatum to clear all outstanding passports

    The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has given the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) two weeks to clear the over 200,000 pending passport applications before it.

    The minister gave the order during a meeting with the Acting Comptroller-General of NIS, Caroline Adepoju, on Thursday in Abuja.

    The meeting was also attended by the Managing-Director, Iris Smart Technologies, Mr Yinka Fisher, the company in charge of the production of Nigerian passport booklets.

    The minister said that the order was in fulfillment of his promise to remove all bottlenecks in the acquisition of Nigerian passport and other immigration documents.

    “Delays in the processing and enrolment of passports in Nigeria has been a source of frustration for citizens, causing significant delays in obtaining crucial travel documents.

    “Having to deal with about 200,000 backlogs calls for national emergency.

    “As far as I am concerned, the issue of passport is a national emergency; I keep getting emails daily from Nigerians complaining. We cannot continue like this.

    “It has become an embarrassment to President Bola Tinubu. I represent him here as your minister.

    “That embarrassment is mine now. I am not changing my words. I need the backlog cleared in two weeks.”

    Tunji-Ojo said that he received updates on passport enrolments on a daily basis.

    “I get daily report on enrolment from NIS on my phone. This is my best way to be in the know of the situation. Nigerians deserve the best.

    “It is their right to own a passport if they can afford it.

    “We will also ensure that our debts are cleared by November. My position remains that the delay in the process of obtaining the passport must end,” he stressed.

    In their remarks, Adepoju and Fisher, assured the minister that all necessary resources and measures would be deployed to clear the backlog of passport applications.

    Adepoju disclosed that though the number of enrolment as of Thursday morning spills into 200,000 across the country, the NIS has secured enough booklets to clear the backlog.

    Meanwhile, the Minister has held strategic meeting with the Controller-General of the Federal Fire Service (FFS), Abdulganiyu Jaji, that of Nigeria Correctional Service (NCOs), Haliru Nababa, and the Commandant-General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ahmed Audi.

    He directed them to within four weeks, come up with a practical and executable roadmap that entails timelines, approaches, deliverables, and methodology.

  • Interior Minister vows to reform 4 services

    Interior Minister vows to reform 4 services

    The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has promised to embark on comprehensive reforms in key sectors under his ministry to enhance their operational capabilities.

    In a video broadcast on Sunday, Tunji-Ojo reaffirmed his commitment to executing the “Renewed Hope Agenda” of President Bola Tinubu, a transformative plan aimed at revamping sectors.

    The four sectors include the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCOs), the Federal Fire Service (FFS) as well as the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

    Acknowledging the leadership of Tinubu, Tunji-Ojo expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to serve and promised to uphold the responsibilities entrusted to him.

    He emphasised that his focus would be on ensuring that the government’s promises translate into meaningful action, making a positive impact on the lives of Nigerians.

    The minister promised to do all he could within his capacity not to disappoint the president in terms of the implementation of the “Renewed Hope Agenda”.

    In addressing challenges relating to NIS, the minister highlighted his determination to enhance the experience of Nigerians seeking to register and obtain passports for various purposes.

    “I assure Nigerians of our desire to proceed with reforms in our NIS, such that Nigerians can be treated with respect, and that we get to unbuckle all bottlenecks of passport collections.

    “We will also ensure that other issues associated with the service in general are under control,” he stressed.

    Besides, Tunji-Ojo said he would ensure the decongestion in NCoS custodial centres as well as providing inmates with the opportunity for rehabilitation and re-integration into the society.

    “Of course, with beaming life, and hope we’d groom inmates and help inmates to ensure proper re-integration into the society.”

    The minister further said that on the proposed reforms for the FFS, he would ensure that response times to emergencies was enhanced.

    “We will do everything within our power as a ministry to ensure that there are key reforms in the nation’s fire service centres and turn around the response time to say 15 minutes.

    “The commitment further reflects the administration’s recognition of the critical role played by the service in safeguarding citizens and infrastructure.”

    Tunji-Ojo further pledged to prioritise the protection of national assets and facilities, as well as to ensure the effective protection of national infrastructure by the NSCDC.

    The minister added that his commitments to reform all the services under his ministry reflect the administration’s vision for a more secure, efficient and prosperous Nigeria.

    “We will ensure that in terms of protection of national assets, it’s expected of the NSCDC to respond to ensuring that our national asset are well protected.

    “I assure Nigerians that under my leadership as the Minister of Interior, I will not rest on my promise of taking a clue from the zeal, determination and commitment of the President.

    “I also assure that the Renewed Hope finds its footings in the Interior Ministry, and Nigerians will be proud of this administration,” he added.

  • Interior Minister reveals measures to protect Nigeria’s borders

    Interior Minister reveals measures to protect Nigeria’s borders

    The New Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has said that the Federal Government will deploy technology to protect the nation’s borders against any form of threat.

    The minister made this known during an interactive session with the newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja.

    Tunji-Ojo said that it had become imperative to deploy ultra-modern technology to secure every part of the nation’s border especially, now that insecurity is becoming the order of the day globally.

    “We need to secure them to ensure that either our land, air, or sea is well protected against any form threat arising from those areas.

    “It has become necessary to complement and to consolidate on what the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) is already doing.

    “So, we need to move at a faster pace and make sure we secure our territory as a nation. So for me, it’s something that must be done. There’s no option other than to do it.

    “You see, I don’t lead from the back, I lead from the front. I have the instruction of President Bola Tinubu to make sure that there are reforms, which is a renewed hope agenda of this government.

    “Which actually finds its footing in the Interior Ministry and its agencies being the custodian of internal security of the country,” he said.

    The minister assured Nigerians that the ministry would not disappoint the president in his quest to bring a reform to government agencies especially, NIS whose core mandate is to secure the nation’s borders.

    He urged the personnel of the service not to disappoint him, as he is ready to build on the performance of the service to enable the Federal Government  deliver on the renewed hope agenda.

    The minister also promised that all the bottlenecks surrounding the issuance of visa and passport would be looked into with the aim of sanitising the system.

  • Recruitment: NIS alerts applicants against fraudulent invitation letters

    Recruitment: NIS alerts applicants against fraudulent invitation letters

    The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has warned the general public especially applicants to be weary of fraudulent invitation letters for recruitment into the service.

    The warning is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by the Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO) Deputy Comptroller of Immigration (DCI) Dr Adedotun Aridegbe.

    Aridegbe said that invitation letters for recruitment into the service could only be downloaded from the official recruitment portal of the service.

    “The attention of the acting Comptroller General of NIS, Caroline Adepoju, has been drawn to the activities of some fraudsters, who are deceiving members of the public with fake invitation letters for recruitment into the NIS.

    “The service hereby wish to state that all invitations for recruitment into the NIS can only be downloaded from its official recruitment portal; https://cdcfib.career by the applicants, who must log in with their registration and phone numbers to access the invitation letters.

    “All other forms of invites from any source and through any medium sent directly to applicants are fake.

    “Consequently, the Ag. Comptroller General wishes to use this medium to advise members of the public to ignore such fake invitations, as such offers are not true and are intended to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.

    “Any request for information/enquiry about the activities of the NIS can be accessed through the following platforms: Twitter – @nigimmigration, Instagram -@ingimmigration, SERVICOM, ” he said.

  • Recruitment: FG releases list of successful applicants into NIS, NSCDC

    Recruitment: FG releases list of successful applicants into NIS, NSCDC

    The Federal Government has released the list of successful candidates who applied for enlistment into the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

    This is contained in a statement issued by the Secretary of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) Mr Ja’afaru Ahmed, on Tuesday in Abuja.

    The board said that candidates who participated in the Computer based Test (CBT), as well as Physical Screening/Certificate Verification/Psychometric evaluation, are requested to visit the CDCFIB portal at cdcfib.career to check if they are successful.

    He said that candidates are expected to print an invitation slip containing the schedule for the exercise.

    According to the board, the documentation exercise and issuance of appointment letters for successful candidates will hold simultaneously for both Services.

    “It will hold from Tuesday, Aug. 15, to Monday Sept. 4, at the board and the service headquarters respectively, ” It stated.

    The board warned that third-party (forwarded) messages would not be entertained.

  • Why delays in passport issuances – Immigration

    Why delays in passport issuances – Immigration

    The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has blamed discrepancies in National Identification Number (NIN) and the name filled in passport forms for delays in procuring passports beyond the recommended six weeks.

    The Comptroller of Immigration Service, Enugu Command, Mrs Azuka Halliday, disclosed this during the event marking NIS 60th anniversary celebrations in Enugu on Sunday.

    She said that when the name in applicants’ NIN document did not match the name in their passport forms, it delayed the time of delivery of their passports beyond the recommended six weeks.

    Halliday, therefore, advised Nigerians to use the NIS online platform for passports applications to avoid complications including delays that might arise from using a third party platform.

    She said that if the applicants faced issues other than the NIN/passport form name discrepancy, her office would be more open to attend to them quickly.

    She said at 60, NIS had delivered its core mandate which included, Issuance of passports and other traveling documents, Border Surveillance and Patrol, Enforcement of laws and Regulations and others to Nigerians.

    On the National Migration Policy, Halliday said Nigeria adopted it in 2015 to ensure that the country got optimum development from international migration.

    She said Nigeria contributed a substantial percentage to global migration as a major country of origin, transit and destination in terms of global migration.

    “For effective implementation of the global migration policy, NIS is now saddled with the role of border management, ensuring national border security, seamless regular migration and economic development of the country.

    “NIS has developed a streamline building programmes for its workforce nationally that would ensure proactive, effective and efficient service delivery as well as introduction of modern technology to enhance its operations.

    “All these innovation is to keep our borders safe,” she explained.

    Mr Okey Ezugwu, a retired NIS staff who delivered the anniversary lecture,  described Nigeria’s Immigration Law as the most liberal in the world because of its friendly nature.

    “If one runs foul of our laws, we do not really go for a kill as the person being punished may not understand why he is being punished.

    “I am not saying that our immigration laws should be reviewed but I am saying from our own background, that we are hospitable and we don’t ill-treat foreigners”, he said.

    He called for a review of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) policy that allowed citizens of member countries freedom to enter any ECOWAS country without Visas.

    Ezugwu, who retired as an Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, said the freedom was being abused as many Nigerians did not see themselves as strangers in Nigeria.

    “Another area that need to be looked into is the Free Trade Zone policy where people in it were not subject to immigration regulations,” he said.

    Ezugwu, said that Immigration, at 60, had done so much in its core mandates as well as in the promotion of tourism and investment in the country.

    The event was attended by the various security agencies and Heads of Government Agencies, as well as other individuals in the state.

  • Passport reforms: Nigeria Immigration redeploys 15 comptrollers

    Passport reforms: Nigeria Immigration redeploys 15 comptrollers

    The acting Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Mrs Caroline Adepoju has approved the immediate reposting of 15 passport officers in a bid to strengthen the ongoing passport reform process.

    This is contained in a statement issued by the Acting Public Relations Officer, Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, Kenneth Kure on Thursday in Abuja.

    Adepoju said that the NIS management was determined to upgrade the Passport administration both at home and in the foreign missions.

    She assured that the service would not go back on its avowed position to make passport offices across board to be purely Service oriented.

    She named some of the affected passport offices as Alausa and Festac both in Lagos, as well as the ones in Edo, Anambra, Bayelsa, Kogi, Nassarawa, Plateau, Enugu, Abia, Kano, Taraba and Ondo, among others.

    The acting CG maintained that only the best brains who have fully adopted the mantra of Service above self, would henceforth be posted to sensitive places.

    “This is so because our people deserve nothing short of the best, ” she said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the posting order was signed by the Deputy Comptroller General (DCG), incharge of Human Resources, Mr Usman Babangida.

  • NIS warn Nigerians against illegal migration

    NIS warn Nigerians against illegal migration

    The Comptroller of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Kwara, Mr Aminu Shamsuddin, has advised residents of the state to desist from illegal migration to avoid risks associated with such act.

    The comptroller gave the advice in an interview in Ilorin on Thursday.

    Shamsuddin identified two types of migration; regular migration and irregular migration.

    He explained that regular migrants were people that have all the required documents, including international Passport

    “It is when you have Passport that you can apply for visa and be given, though, there are conditions attached to getting a visa.

    “This conditions includes financial capability, invitation by an individual or organisation abroad, purpose of going, duration of stay and type of visa, whether medical, tourism or work permit by companies abroad,” he explained.

    The comptroller however said that irregular migration is illegal, saying that the people involve always lie and refuse to obtain travel documents and sometimes deny their identity.

    He noted that the irregular migrants may travel abroad by road, sea, or even smuggle themselves in to the Aeroplane in order not to be caught.

    “Some illegal migrants go as far as hiding inside container on the sea, just to travel abroad, in the process, they get tired and weak, thereby die before they reach their destination,” he said.

    Shamsuddin said travelling abroad through illegal means has lots of disadvantages and risks, as there was no official knowledge and as such anything that happens during the process would not be known.

    He said that there are lots of wicked people waiting to get illegal migrants for their evil plans, such as slavery, organ harvest, trafficking, drug transporters and many unspeakable things.

    The comptroller further said that illegal migrants are usually deported, while some are left in the prison without the knowledge of their relatives, depending on where they were caught.

    He however said that the deportees were of different categories; while some are deported due to over stay, others as a result of trafficking and would be handed over to the right agencies.

    On blacklist of migrants, the comptroller explained that foreign countries blacklist migrants due to various reasons, especially violating the laws of their country, which stopped them from entering the country in future.

    Shamsuddin added that those blacklisted would not be able to enter the country for 10 years or forever, depending on the nature of the offence.

    The comptroller reiterated that those blacklisted cannot hide, as their travel history is documented and would be revealed as soon as they thumb print on the office machine.

    “Once a person thumb print on our machine, his details will appear and it will show that the person has a passport before and the reason for being blacklisted will be revealed.

    “This is what we did to curb crimes and protect the country’s image, because years back, Nigerians find it difficult to get foreign visa, as many are assumed to be criminals,” he explained.

    Shamsuddin thereby advised Nigerians to always go through the official process of obtaining their travel document, abide by the rules of the country they are going and be a good Nigeria citizen, anywhere they are.

     

  • NIS promotes 7,000 personnel, redeploys 12 comptrollers

    NIS promotes 7,000 personnel, redeploys 12 comptrollers

    The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), has promoted 7,000 of its personnel to their new ranks.

    This is contained in a statement by the Service Public Relations Officer, Mr Kenneth Kure, on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Kure said that the promotions are contained in a letter signed by the Secretary of the Immigration, Civil Defense, Correctional and Fire Service Board (CDCFIB), Alhaji Jafaru Ahmed.

    Kure, himself promoted to Assistant Comptroller, said the personnel comprised senior officers who passed regular examinations and junior staff upgraded for acquiring additional qualifications.

    He also said the acting Comptroller-General of Immigration Service (CGIS), Adepoju Wuro-Ola, had approved the appointment of Mr Tony Akuneme, as Comptroller, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, while Comptroller Joseph Dada becomes the new Principal Staff Officer to the acting Comptroller-General.

    “Mr Dada, a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, has served in various commands in the NIS and was until his recent appointment, the Comptroller in-charge of Marine Border Corps in the Service Headquarters.

    “It will be recalled that 12 Comptrollers were recently redeployed to different states, including FCT, Kano, Jigawa, Ondo, Ogun, and Mfum Border Control, among others,” the spokesman said.

    Addressing officers and men of the Service during a monthly parade, Kure said, the acting CGIS charged them to put the image of the job above personal interests.

    He quoted Adepoju as saying that NIS is one of the most noble institutions and the first agency that any visitor to Nigeria would meet upon arrival.

    According to the spokesman, Adepoju  promised to prioritise personnel welfare and vowed that promotion would be strictly based on seniority.

    “It is disheartening to see senior officers stagnated and their juniors elevated over them.

    “Any staff who is not well motivated cannot guarantee quality output.”