Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola on Thursday urged officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to enhance internal security and embrace the spirit of transparency.
Aregbesola spoke in Abuja during his familiarisation visit to the NIS headquarters.
A statement issued by the spokesman of the NIS, Sunday James, reads: “On Thursday, 22nd August 2019, the Honourable Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aribesola, made his maiden official visit to the Headquarters of the Nigeria Immigration Service where he charged the Service to enhance internal security, facilitate Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and imbibe the culture of transparency.
“The Honourable Minister set out three main objectives for the Ministry of Interior under his watch based on the mandate given to him by President Muhammadu Buhari. These are Security, Economy and Transparency which he coded “SET”. Thus, he mandated agencies under him to improve security, economy and transparency in government business. He also expressed his commitment to making them “enhancers of internal security”.
“He further disclosed that he was very impressed with the level of development he witnessed at the NIS. Some of these include the deployment of technology in the enhanced e-Passport, Technology Building, MIDAS and the Command Control Centre, where activities of NIS operatives at the borders are being coordinated. He thereby committed to supporting the NIS to achieve her mandate. According to him, he saw in the NIS ‘a Service that might be second to none in the sub-Sahara Africa in no distant time’.
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“The Honourable Minister was earlier taken round facilities at the NIS Headquarters including the newly commissioned Migrant e-Registration Centre and the ongoing construction of Technology building after which he was briefed on the activities of the Service by the Comptroller General of Immigration Muhammad Babandede.
“While briefing the honourable Minister, the CGI stated that NIS is an IT-driven agency that is committed to ensuring government business is done professionally.”
Aregbesola, in a statement issued in Abuja by his Media Consultant, Mr Semiu Okanlawon, decried the internal insecurity bedevilling the country, the Minister said the Muhammadu Buhari government is open to more meaningful ideas that can help in the formulation of new policies in tackling all threats to internal security.
He said: “We appeal to all of you with ideas. Nobody is a repository of ideas because nobody has the whole ideas on earth. We are appealing to you to share ideas, opinions, suggestions and strategies that can help us to remove, reduce and eliminate all the security threats facing our nation.
“Besides the fact that the primary objective of every government is the security of lives and property as well as the welfare of the citizens, these can only be guaranteed if and when there are safety and security in the land.”
Also, Minister of State for Health Olorunnimbe Mamora said the ministry would curb medical tourism and child mortality.
Mamora also said the ministry would re-invigorate the structures on the ground and address the intra-profession rivalry among the health professionals in the country.
Speaking to reporters during a reception held for him in Abuja, the minister stated that the new administration in the health ministry would continue from where the former minister stopped.
He said: “Definitely, we have to do that (curb medical tourism) because we are complaining of not having enough foreign exchange and then the little we have; we are taking them for medical tourism.
“We need to do things differently by way of reinvigorating the structures we have here. For example, there is what I call the minimum, which we need to put in place. We have good doctors, good health professionals.”
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