Keep harmful foreigners away from our shores and borders - Minister

Bisi Abass |

Officers and men of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) have been charged to keep foreigners who are likely to harm Nigerians in any way away from our shores and borders.

The Minister for Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola who gave the charge further urged the men to be extra vigilant and abstain from activities that could undermine effective performance of their duty and safety of the country.

Aregbesola spoke on Friday during the commissioning of the NIS’ Office Complex in Kaduna.

In a paper ‘A Befitting Accommodation for the Service’,the minister said,“As you are all aware, national security is a life and death matter for all of us, especially considering that the security challenges we face have a foreign component.

“It is therefore our bounded duty to ensure that foreigners who are likely to harm us in any way are kept away from our shores and borders. This requires that you be extra vigilant and abstain from attitudes and activities that could undermine effective performance of your duty and the safety of our land,” he explained.

Aregbesola commended the Service for the gradual deployment of technology in their operations, especially Migration Information and Data Analysis System (MIDAS) in controlling the data of every person entering or leaving Nigeria.

He emphasized that the ministry is fast putting behind the days when government Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) rent buildings for office accommodation.

“This event is a proof of our commitment and the demonstration of government to improving public facilities and emplace good working environment for officers and men. This is because we have placed premium on infrastructure and human capital development,” he disclosed.

“The Nigeria Immigration Service Management, made a firm resolve that command office complexes are built in all the 36 state command structure of the Service and the FCT.

“It is against this background that the Ministry keeps supporting agencies under it, including NIS in its effort to building and refurbishment of office accommodation.”

“From late last year to this year despite some hitches due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the Ministry successfully commissioned the Kwara and Oyo States Command office complexes virtually.

“Today we are here to commission the Kaduna State Command Complex. It is my belief that this edifice will provide the needed comfort for officers and men of this Command to function effectively. Therefore, I enjoin the personnel serving in Kaduna Command to make good use of this new command office complex,” he pointed out.