The Federal Government is to rehabilitate the Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) with a view to ensuring effective border management.
The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said this on Tuesday in Abuja during the inauguration of 105 officers trained in the application and use of the installed e-solution at the national borders.
Tunji-Ojo praised the Kemi Nandap-led Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) for its innovative approaches to border management and migration governance.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigeria shares its 4,047km border with Benin Republic 773km, Cameroun 1,690km, Chad 87 Km, Niger 1,497km and the Gulf of Guinea 853 km.
The Minister said, “as you go out, let us protect our borders – all the 4,047km.
“ Our border is very peculiar. Nigeria is both a Sahel state and a state in the Gulf of Guinea. That is a unique geographical location and you have to understand that.
“In the Sahel, you understand the situation of the Sahel. Five of the top ten poorest countries in the world are in the Sahel.
“The issue of climate change is an issue that also affects irregular migration within the Sahel.
“We also know that the proximity to wealth and the proximity to opportunities within the Gulf of Guinea is also an encouragement for irregular migration. So there is a lot we have to do.
“The challenges are many, but the good news is that we have officers who I know are capable, officers who are competent, and officers who are professional enough to protect our borders.
“We are constantly working on your FOBs because we know that a couple of, I mean, almost all the FOBs are nothing to write home about. We are working on that and I am sure in the next couple of months you will start seeing the FOBs,”he said.
The minister said that the government was working on so many other things assuring that the officers and men would be well-equipped to face the challenges.
He said “we will not send you to the farm without giving you the necessary tools that you need. Technology is one, but there are so many others besides technology.
“We have done our analysis. We know what you need, and I assure you, we will stand by you. We want to charge you. The security of this country depends on your professionalism.
“The security of this country depends on your responsibility. The security of this country depends on your determination and your ability to sacrifice. Just as you know, we are not just telling you to stay and man the borders.
“This President came and gave you a condition of service like never before, because the president believes that a happy workforce should be an efficient workforce and that is why today, your promotion is regular.
“As a matter of fact, I think last year, we started and we ended 2023 promotion in 2023.
“As we speak, we are done with the 2024 promotion exercise, I think, in September and we have a target of finishing 2025 earlier than September, “he said.
The minister while charging the officer on hard work and diligence said “the president increased your salary and increased your allowances.
”The least we can do is to pay him back by being diligent, by being efficient, and being the symbol of what Nigeria is about. Nigeria is about resilience.
“Nigeria is about determination. Nigeria is about efficiency, effectiveness. That is who we are”.
In her remarks, Nandap said that the 105 officers were drawn from 28 border formations.
Nandap said that the training was to develop competencies in deploying and handling the e-border solution.
She added that aside from investing in technology, the NIS management was also investing in human capital development.
The NIS CG who further spoke on the gains derivable from the training said that it would afford the service the opportunity for better surveillance.
This, she said included data capturing and data management as well as collaboration with other stakeholders both regional and international.
“Our borders are more secure and citizens are safer while this e-border solution will also facilitate trade.
“These officers have gone through a lot of trainings to ensure that once they are in the field, they know what to do, they know how to handle the systems we are deploying”, she added.
