Immigration @ 60 Celebrations: Expert Calls For Capacity Building For Personnel

Peterclaver Egbochue

A Consultant on Border and Migration, and former Immigration Officer, Dr. Willie Eselebu, has emphasized the need for capacity building for officers and men of the NIS to be able to curb human trafficking and enhance border security.

Delivering a lecture with the theme,” Nigeria Immigration Service and National Security Concerns”, at the grand finale of the activities to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the Nigerian Immigration Service which held at the Archbishop Vining Hall, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday, Dr. Willie Eselebu who is also a Lecturer at the University of Ibadan, stressed the importance of capacity building of officers and men of NIS in dealing with insurgence and terrorism and by extension internal security of the country and called for a change of strategy by the government.

He maintained that the problem had lingered because before 2018, previous administrations did not have effective border security architecture to be able to closely cover 4,047square miles of Nigerian border.

In an exclusive interview with The Claver Magazine, the guest lecturer said, “What I’m saying is that border security is very important. There’s need to build capacity of Immigration personnel to be able to make our borders, 4,047Square miles of our borders safe from insurgency and terrorism and smuggling of small arms which will also enhance internal security. Without that one, you are not likely to curb insecurity, all our security problems will be difficult to deal with because people have access to small arms and light weapons and people are being smuggled through the high sea to Europe and there’s nothing the Immigration can do. So, there’s need for training and retraining of officers of NIS. This is our contemporary problem.

“The problem has lingered because the government before, 2018 did not have better border security architecture; there was no serious border policing. You can see what the Americans did because they have border with potential enemies. So, we need to change our strategy to bring about more border policing and it has to happen anytime soon, if it does not happen, we are just wasting time.”

The event which started on Tuesday with a walkout and enlightenment of the public was followed by lectures on Wednesday culminating in Thursday’s grand finale which attracted very important dignitaries from the service and special guests while officers and men of NIS appeared in their ceremonial outfits which accentuated the ambiance of the occasion.

Some of them include; the Lagos state governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Chief of Staff, Mr. Tayo Ayinde, Acting Comptroller-General of NIS, Wura-Ola Caroline Adepoju (fsi,pcc+), ACG/Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘A’ Headquarters, Lagos, K.A. Sadiq, (pcc), CIS F.B. Faniran (pcc), Human Resources Management Section, Zone ‘A’ Headquarters, CIS D.O. Odaleje, Officer-In-Charge of Operations, Zone ‘A’ Headquarters, Mr. Idowu Adebowale, former ACG, Osun state command and security consultant, CIS Olufunmilayo Olayemisi, Comptroller, Ogun State command, the Indian and the Egyptian Communities in Lagos, and many others.

Earlier, the Commandant of the Nigeria Customs Training College, Ikeja, Deputy Comptroller H.H. Hadison (psc+,fwc,Ace) delivered a lecture on the theme, “Economic Benefits of Border Security” where he highlighted the role of the Nigerian Immigration  Service and the benefits of a secured border.

In his goodwill message, the host of the occasion, ACG K.A Sadiq, said, ”On this beautiful occasion of NIS 60^th Anniversary, I heartily join the entire officers and men of Zone “A” to congratulate the Ag, CGI (Mrs.) Caroline Wuraola Adepoju (fsi,pcc+), as we celebrate 60 years of selfless dedication to the service.

“The service has passed through many phases, so, we hereby celebrate our unsung heroes of the past and present for having sailed the boat of success so far. By our core values and mandate in tandem with the vision of the Ag. CGIS, the service shall stand tall in her achievements towards building a better national security. Together, we thrive.

“Our most profound appreciation to the Ag. CGIS. and hearty congratulations to NIS with open arms as we soar higher with pride.”

On her part, the Comptroller of Immigration Service, zone “A”, Headquarters, (Mrs.) M.R. Udoh (pcc+) said, “On behalf of the officers and men of Lagos passport command, I heartily felicitate with the Ag. CGIS, (Mrs.) Caroline Wuraola Adepoju, all officers and men of NIS on the occasion of our Diamond Jubilee.

“The 60 years of NIS’ existence as an agency of government in charge of migration management is full of interesting adventures that have seen the service become a globally reputable brand and soaring higher into space of colourful successes.

“We must acknowledge that the sacrifices of our past and present heroes brought the NIS to where we are today, and by God’s grace, we can be assured that the fortunes of the service as Nigeria’s Gatekeeper will only get better and better”.

Similarly, (Mrs.) CIS A.A. Adesokan, Comptroller, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, in her good will message said, “On behalf of all officers and men at the MMIA, we felicitate with the Ag.CGIS Caroline Wura-Ola Adepoju and the entire officers and men of the service on the celebration of our Diamond Jubilee. We wish the NIS many more meaningful years ahead.”    

In a related development, the association of retired personnel of the NIS called on other retirees of the service to identify with the body and that they would be willing to respond whenever called upon for advice.

The expatriate communities added colour and glamour to the event with the display of their music, dance and food respectively.

The highlight of the occasion was the presentation of awards to deserving officers for their exceptional conduct and commitment particularly the officer at MMIA who found and returned money (Dollars) to a traveler and the presentation of the beautifully decorated anniversary cake.