Immigration boss decries multiple road blocks along border posts

Tayo Oladipupo

The Nigeria immigration Service (NIS) has expressed concerns over the economic implications of multiple check points mounted by different security agencies along Lagos – Seme Road.

Seme border command Controller of Immigration, Mr. Dominic Obetta Asogwa expressed the concerns during a courtesy call by members of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders (AREFFN) on his office at the weekend.

According to him, the multiple road blocks could discourage foreign direct investment inflow from the axis.

While emphasizing that one of his cardinal objectives as immigration officer was to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) that would create jobs for the teeming youths of this country, he however regretted that even when they encourage investors to come to Nigeria to invest, such investors end up being embarrassed by the number of check points and the amount of money they had to part with to access the country which was never so in other climes.

He said,” And that is why I kept reminding the locals here that yes, we have proliferation of check points on the road here but you people have to bear it otherwise, how can you tell somebody coming out from his house going to Mile 2 or from Seme here going to Mile 2 will see retinue of check points on the road both those that are supposed to exist and those that are not supposed to exist which is an area? I will charge you people to look into because it is more likely that we are all encouraging people not doing the right thing or people not working in accordance with the law because by the time you encourage all these security agencies, you discover that you are making my job very difficult.

“One of the cardinal objectives of my job here is to attract foreign direct investments. When you encourage people to come in, maybe to develop tourism here, most of you must have gone to Togo, as you are entering Togo, you see a very beautiful park by the left, you will have interest to go back there but coming to Nigeria, you clear yourself from here, you start seeing multiple check points.

“One Canadian, I will share with you, said he will never come to Nigeria again because of the embarrassments on the road and one of my cardinal duties here is to attract foreign direct investments that will create jobs for our teeming youths. If you people don’t bring money to Seme, you will discover that there will be crisis, the economic activities here will not boom.

“So, if we don’t encourage people coming in, you will discover that they will not come (and if they don’t come), there will be no money. Any foreigner coming in here will come maybe with $500 to $1000 to spend within the axis. So, the job is for you and me to do this and make sure that things are working out well. In terms of cooperation, I don’t have much problem with freight forwarders”.

Speaking further, he solicited the cooperation of freight forwarders in checking the incidences of smuggling and trafficking of human beings from the border urging them to volunteer information to the Service to enable it stop the heinous crime promising to protect the identity of the informant at any given time.