Take Bribe and Consider Yourself Sacked – Immigration Boss Reads Riot Act to Personnel
By Trek Africa Newspaper
Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service NIS, Kemi Nandap, has read the riot act to personnel of the Service, especially those at the nation’s international airports and border formations, warning them against unethical practices, saying the era of impunity was over.
Vowing that there will be consequences for every misconduct, the CGIS said as gatekeepers, the activities of immigration personnel at the nation’s entry and exit points can make or mar Nigeria’s reputation among the comity of nations.
The CGIS made the declaration on Tuesday in Abuja while flagging off a two-day sensitization workshop on ‘Building a Value Culture in Nigeria Immigration Service NIS’ organized for border controllers.
She said; “We gather today at a critical juncture in our service’s history, where the fabric of our integrity is threatened by the actions of a few.
“Recent events have cast a dark shadow on our reputation, and we must take collective responsibility to restore our honour and uphold the trust placed in us.
“The footage of some officers soliciting gratification, taking bribes, and even being intoxicated while on duty is a stark reminder of the menace of corruption that threatens to consume us. These actions not only betray the trust of the public but also undermine our very purpose as guardians of our nation’s borders and protectors of its citizens.
“We must acknowledge that corruption is a hydra-headed monster that can only be defeated through a collective effort. It is our responsibility to identify and root out the corrupt elements within our ranks, and to create a culture of accountability, transparency, and zero tolerance for corruption.
“Recently, the Nigerian Immigration Service conducted a Nationwide campaign to mitigate corruption and improve service delivery. These sustained efforts are geared towards ensuring accountability, transparency, and a culture of excellence in our operations”.
Noting that the integrity of the borders becomes questionable when the people who serve there have problems, the CGIS said officers and men must remain committed to mitigating corruption, improving service delivery and ethical compliance.
She said it was deeply concerning that many Nigerians think of the Service only in terms of passport administration, saying the mandate of immigration personnel is first border governance and migration management before passport processing and issuance.
Speaking on reforms in the Service, the CGIS said; The NIS has made us who we are today, and we will not stand by and watch a few drag the name of the NIS in the mud. That is what drives the management team.
“We must go back to the drawing board to look at where we got it wrong, where the problem is. The essence of this workshop is to identify the problem because if you don’t know the problem, how do you get it right? Our officers are already at all the international airports to know what the problems are. Is it a matter of more training, postings etc?
“The human resource in NIS is amazing. It is unbelievable. The only thing we have to do is harness them. The era of you saying it is not your business is over. I will not stand it. We are at a very critical point in the history of our service and it is either we make it or we don’t. As far as I am concerned, I do not associate with failure. So we must make it. The essence of this workshop is to read the riot act to all our officers at the airports that there is zero tolerance for corruption. The era of doing things and thinking there will be no penalties is over. There will be consequences. Serious consequences.
“The reason I asked for this meeting is for us to deliberate on operational issues and come up with the way forward to make our borders safe and secure.
“On my assumption of duties, I went around formations to get first-hand information on the issues and challenges because our core mandate is border management, surveillance and patrol.
“Ensure effective profiling of all non-Nigerians going out or coming into the country. As controllers, you must be physically on the ground. You must go round and know the conditions of your officers. It’s not for you to sit at home and begiveirectives their phone.
“The era of infiltration by foreigners is gone. Border policing? We must be on top of it. Some hotspots are notorious for certain kinds of border crimes, whether banditry, cattle rustling or mimigrantmuggling. You must understand the prevalent crimes or threats in your area so that you can determine what to do to stop ththem
“There must be weekly reports and Intels. We have officers in all the 774 LGAs. Why are we not using them?”, She queried.
Earlier, the Deputy Comptroller General DCG in charge of Border Management, Dr MC Dike said the workshop was aimed at mitigating corruption and entrenching critical values into the NIS systems.
“We are trying to look at our work processes and to eliminate corruption because the purpose for which we are here today is a commitment to the critical values that the CGIS places on our systems.
“We cannot underestimate the commitment to these processes. Today is for us to look at our books and our previous commitments to know where we are falling short.
“We know we are gatekeepers in this country. As people come in, they see us first and those going out see us last. So the values and impressions we give to them last a very long time. If you receive them badly, they will have the impression that the entire country is like that.
“Therefore it becomes very critical that we go by the books in anything we are doing. We must be committed to our ethics and professionalism as border managers”, he added.
