The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS)

  • Immigration seizes over 700 voter cards from foreigners

    As the 2019 general elections approaches, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has so far retrieved more than 700 voter cards from non-Nigerians, it was learnt on Saturday. 

    The Comptroller-General (CG) of NIS, Muhammad Babandede disclosed this in Abuja at the NIS 2018 end of the year dinner and award presentation.

    Babandede disclosed that the service will be fully involved in the 2019 general elections.

    He vowed that the NIS will make sure that no foreigner will vote during the forthcoming elections. 

    His words: “This year, we have retrieved over 700 voter cards from non-Nigerians. We will be there during elections to ensure that non-Nigerians don’t participate. We will make sure that they don’t vote and they are not voted for. During the election, we will ensure the borders are secured so that nobody can enter the country during the days of election. Immigration service has changed for the better.

    “We have built the capacity of personnel and improved on structures and contributed to Nigeria’s security and prosperity in many ways.”

    On the Ease of Doing Business, the NIS boss said the service had assisted businessmen to get visas as quickly as possible without hurdles adding that: “We have trained so many officers. There has never been a time Nigeria Immigration Service has gotten better structures than now.

    Read Also: Immigration prosecutes three for passport offence

    “The approval of the technology building worth N7.1 billion by President Muhammadu Buhari will serve all law enforcement agencies where we will share such information online with partners. I thank President Buhari for approving the unique project for the NIS. That has never been done since inception in 1958.

    “We became independent in 1963. Since that time, we have not gotten a centre to coordinate all our operations until this year when the President approved the technology building.

    “Julius Berger has already started work on the site. It was launched by the Minister of Interior last week.”

    On ensuring discipline and integrity in the service, Babandede said: “We dismissed many officers, retired many and reduced the rank of some other officers and will will not relent in making sure that our integrity in intact.”

  • Human trafficking: NIS apprehends four,rescue 38 victims

    The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Katsina state command, have arrested no fewer than four persons suspected to be human traffickers and rescued 38 victims of human trafficking in the state. The command also paraded nine rescued suspected victims and vowed to hand them over to its headquarters in Abuja for further investigation.

     Addressing journalists in katsina, the state Comptroller of Immigration Mr. Ajisafe Joshua Olusola, said the suspects are between the ages of 21 and 43 and that most of them hailed from different states of the country.

     He said “The three suspected victims are from Ogun state, one from Abia, Oyo, Imo, Edo, Osun, and one from Enugu state respectively. The victims were individually recruited by different agents from Lagos and Portharcourt’’.

     “They started their journey from Lagos with the intention of travelling to Niger Republic to obtain biomatric capture for United State of American visa at American Embassy in Niamey, Niger Republic under the facilitation of one agent named Mr. Balogun Taiwo who is residing in Niamey, Niger Republic”.

    While reiterating the command’s readiness to avert human trafficking and child labour in the state, Comptroller Olusola urged the public to provide NIS with vital information about human trafficking and child labour in the state.

    He said the information, if provided will go along way in assisting the Nigeria Immigration Service in fighting and preventing child trafficking and other related cases in the country.

  • Immigration nabs four ‘human traffickers’, rescue 38 victims

    The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Katsina state command have arrested no fewer than four persons suspected to be human traffickers and rescued 38 victims of human trafficking in the state.

    The command also paraded nine rescued suspected victims and vowed to hand them over to its headquarters in Abuja for further investigation.

    Addressing journalists in katsina, the state Comptroller of Immigration Mr. Ajisafe Joshua Olusola, said the suspects are between the ages of 21 and 43 and that most of them hailed from different states of the country.

    Read Also:

    He said “The three suspected victims are from Ogun state, one from Abia, Oyo, Imo, Edo, Osun, and one from Enugu state respectively. The victims were individually recruited by different agents from Lagos and Port Harcourt’’.

    “They started their journey from Lagos with the intention of travelling to Niger Republic to obtain biometric capture for United State of American visa at American Embassy in Niamey, Niger Republic under the facilitation of one agent named Mr. Balogun Taiwo who is residing in Niamey, Niger Republic”.

    While reiterating the command’s readiness to avert human trafficking and child labour in the state, Comptroller Olusola urged the public to provide NIS with vital information about human trafficking and child labour in the state.

    He said the information, if provided will go a long way in assisting the Nigeria Immigration Service in fighting and preventing child trafficking and other related cases in the country.

  • Fake marriages taking place in Nigeria – NIS

    The Nigeria Immigration Service ( NIS ) has said that a lot of fake marriages are taking place between Nigerians and foreigners in the country.

    Mr Muhammad Babandede, Comptroller General of the agency stated this on Wednesday in Abuja, saying that male foreigners were mostly involved in the act.

    He spoke at an operational review meeting with Zonal Coordinators and State Comptrollers of the agency at its national headquarters.

    Babandede said their aim was to cheat the conditions for the issuance of residence and work permits to foreigners by the agency.

    “We have observed that foreigners, especially men, are trying to beat the system of issuance of residence permits.

    “A lot of fake or ‘arrangee’ marriages are going on, and that would give them permission to stay in this country without much liabilities.

    “The advantage is that when you are the spouse of a Nigerian, you have no limitation on the job you will do; you don’t have to pay residence permit fees; it is easier for you to stay.

    “So, we are beginning to face difficulties because many people are becoming married on temporary ground,” Babandede said.

    The NIS boss said the agency had arrested some culprits, and would tighten the conditions for the issuance of permits to check the abuse.

    He said that as part of the measures to check the abuse, the agency would henceforth monitor marriages between Nigerians and foreigners in the country.

    “We will not allow any person to come for holiday marriage, because we have also observed that people just come on holidays, arrange marriages in Nigeria and go back.

    “We will not allow that anymore; you have to stay for a period of six months after marriage before you get our residence permit.

    “You have to also enter with permission to stay in Nigeria, so you must come with the residency visa; you can’t come as a tourist and get married,’’ he said.

    Babandede further said that the agency was also planning to restrict foreign spouses to jobs for which Nigerians lacked the requisite skills and qualifications.

    He stated that the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Interior and the NIS, was looking into the issue, which he described as a national security threat.

    NAN

  • NIS generates N38.5bn, $29.9m in 2017, says C-G

    The Nigeria Immigration Service ( NIS ) generated a total revenue of N38.532 billion and 29.9 million dollars in 2017.

    The Comptroller-General of NIS, Mr Muhammad Babandede, made this known at an operational review meeting with zonal coordinators and state controllers of the agency in Abuja on Wednesday.

    Babandede also said that the NIS made a total payment of N38, 531 in the year under review, leaving a surplus of one million naira.

    He said that the dollar component (29.9 million dollars) was deposited into the Federation Account in line with financial regulations.

    Giving a breakdown of the funds generated, he said N14 billion was generated from passport issuance, N72 million from ECOWAS travel documents, and N1.9 billion from address verification fees paid by passport applicants.

    Babandede said that N186 million was realised from non-refundable administrative fees, N20 billion from issuance of resident permits and N1.6 billion from e-pass (penalties paid by foreigners, who overstayed in the country).

    On the dollar component of the revenue, he said 28 million dollars was generated from passport and one million dollars from the issuance of visa on arrival.

    The NIS said the monies were generated under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, thus the expenditure involved payments to private companies for services rendered to the agency.

    The breakdown of the expenditure shows that N10 billion was paid to Iris Technologies, N1.4 billion to New works Solutions, N303 million to the National e-Government, and N744 million to Greater Washington.

    Babandede said that N15 billion was paid to Contec, the NIS technical partner on resident permits, N219 million to the Federal Ministry of Interior for supervision of the issuance of resident permits, and N2 billion to NIS “payment to IP Telcom’’.

    The comptroller-general said N268 million was paid to the Nigeria Security and Minting Company for services rendered to the agency, one billion naira to the Federal Inland Revenue Service ( FIRS ) as tax on services rendered by the NIS.

    The immigration boss further said that N5 billion was paid to government as sub-treasury, while N101 million went to IP Telcom for document-scanning services rendered to the NIS.

    NAN

  • Tambuwal urges NIS Boss to halt illegal migration

    Tambuwal urges NIS Boss to halt illegal migration

    Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has urged the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to responsively halt illegal migration of young and able-bodied Nigerians who undertake dangerous trips across the Sahara and Mediterranean Sea in bids to make it to Europe.

    Similarly, the Governor urged the service to increase vigilance around border areas to check influx of illegal migrants into the country especially through Sokoto and neighbouring states.

    Tambuwal spoke when he granted audience to the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammad Baban Dede, at the Sokoto Government House.

    “Let me first of all commend you and your men for the good job you are doing especially in Sokoto and neighbouring states of Zamfara and Kebbi. Reports reaching us indicate that vast majority of your officers are carrying out their duties in professional manner.

    “Now that you are here, I want to appeal to the Service to streamline the number of multiple checkpoints mounted on various roads within the border areas in the state.

    “Even though we are aware that such checkpoints were in put place to control influx of illegal migrants into the country, local road users have complained of harassment by your men at such checkpoints. Please look into these complaints and help in addressing them,” he added.

    Tambuwal said the state government will support the community border patrols introduced by the Service, adding that the initiative would go along way in addressing security challenges in the country.

    In his remarks, the CG said they were in Sokoto to register their appreciation to the Governor for allocating 40 hectares of land to the Sokoto state command  of NIS, as well as the Immigration Staff College situated in Sokoto.

    He said the Service under his command has introduced various initiatives aimed at improving the security of all Nigerians.

     

     
  • Senate urges Immigration to enforce law on expatriate quota

    Senate urges Immigration to enforce law on expatriate quota

    The Senate Committee on Local Content on Friday decried the “unnecessary depletion of the nation’s foreign reserves’’ through engagement of expatriates.

    The Chairman of the committee, Sen. Solomon Adeola, made the remark during an oversight visit to the headquarters of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Abuja.

    Spokesman of the NIS, Mr Sunday James, said in a statement that the lawmaker urged the agency to address the issue by enforcing the country’s relevant local content laws.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that companies seeking business permit and expatriate quota are required to employ Nigerians to understudy their foreign experts for the purpose of training them.

    This is to enable the trainees to acquire the requisite skills for the eventual takeover of the expatriate quota positions.

    “It is sad that our qualified graduates in oil and gas-related disciplines are roaming the streets without jobs, whereas expatriates are collecting huge salaries for jobs that our people can conveniently undertake.

    “This can no longer be tolerated”, Adeola was quoted as saying.

    Responding, the Comptroller General of Immigration, Mr Muhammad Babadende, said the NIS was committed to enforcing the local content law as it affected the understudy programme.

    Babadende said the agency would ensure that companies complied with the conditions for granting expatriate quota to companies with foreign experts in their employ.

    He also assured the committee of a “robust partnership” in enforcement of the local content law as requested by the lawmakers.

  • FG saves N24.7bn from TSA, IPPIS/BVN monthly – Buhari

    FG saves N24.7bn from TSA, IPPIS/BVN monthly – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari says Federal Government’s leveraging on Information and Communication Technology ( ICT ) and the enforcement of Bank Verification Number ( BVN ) has saved the nation of N24.7 billion monthly.

    The president disclosed this when he declared open the 2017 eNigeria Conference, organised by National Information Technology Development Agency ( NITDA ) at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, on Tuesday.

    The president also revealed that the implementation of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System ( IPPIS ) and Bank Verification Number (BVN) had eliminated ghost workers and reduced waste, thereby saving the nation N20 billion monthly.

    He said that the consolidation of 20,000 accounts had saved the nation N4.7 billion.

    According to him, the TSA policy has also facilitated transparency, accountability and ease of transactions and payments between government and businesses as well as government and citizens.

    “We have done a lot to transform our government, especially in the areas of strategy, policies and digital infrastructure investments.

    “You may recall that on assumption of office, we enforced the policy on Treasury Single Account (TSA). Today, we are all witnesses to the impact it has made on our financial management.

    “We have so far consolidated over 20,000 accounts, resulting into about N4.7 billion monthly savings.

    “In addition, the policy facilitated transparency, accountability and ease of transactions and payments between government and businesses as well as government and citizens.

    “Another initiative leveraging on ICT and making huge impact on the economy is the introduction of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and Bank Verification Number (BVN).

    “Its implementation has helped to eliminate the menace of ghost workers, thereby reducing waste in the system by saving government over N20 billion monthly.

    President Buhari described his presence at the event as a demonstration of his commitment and strong belief in using ICT as a major driver of developmental governance and economic reform plans aimed at bringing about the true CHANGE his administration promised Nigerians.

    According to him, ICT is strategic in driving productivity and efficiency in all sectors of the economy.

    He noted that currently, almost all sectors of the nation’s economy leverage on ICT to increase efficiency, productivity and performance.

    President Buhari commended NITDA’s efforts on fostering the patronage of indigenous IT products and services through continuous engagement with indigenous OEMs, relevant stakeholders and other laudable initiatives.

    He observed that ICT played a pivotal role with agencies of government such as the Corporate Affairs Commission ( CAC ), Federal Inland Revenue Service ( FIRS ) and the Nigeria Immigration Service ( NIS ).

    He stated that the affected agencies had leaned on ICT in improving public service delivery in an efficient and transparent manner.

    “So far, 31 reforms have been completed by the council and these reforms are already making noticeable impact on our economic diversification efforts.

    “The Agency’s efforts at enforcing Federal Government’s directive on ensuring that all ICT projects in the country are cleared by it before implementation are highly commendable.

    “These efforts will ensure that government’s ICT procurement is transparent.

    “It is aligned with government’s IT-shared vision and policy, save costs through promotion of shared services, avoid duplication, ensure compatibility of IT systems, thereby improving efficiency across government and enforce the patronage of indigenous companies.’’

    The president expressed the hope that the conference would come up with practical, viable solutions and recommendations to further develop local content in ICT as well as how it could best regulate the deployment and use of ICT systems to foster a digital economy in Nigeria.

    The president used the opportunity of the conference to express displeasure over refusal of some heads of government’s ministries, agencies and departments to wear the Armed Forces Remembrance Emblem.

    He noted that very few of dignitaries at the conference wore the 2018 Armed Forces Remembrance Day emblem, which he inaugurated on Wednesday.

    He urged all heads of ministries, departments and agencies to wear the emblem with pride, to encourage the legionnaires as well as families of those who paid the supreme price for the unity of the nation.

    Buhari said the emblem launch was a worthy tradition of recognizing and appreciating the sacrifices of the veterans in the First and Second World Wars, Nigerian Civil War and Peace Support Operations around the world.

    The three-day conference has as theme: “Fostering Digital Economy through Local Content Development and Effective Regulations.”

    NAN

  • NIS unveils additional centres for resident permits

    NIS unveils additional centres for resident permits

    The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has created 28 additional centres for the Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card (CERPAC) in order to reduce cases of issuance of fake residence permits and aliens cards to expatriates coming into the country.

    Dr Benoy Berry, Chairman of CONTEC GLOBAL, the technical partner to NIS on CERPAC project gave this hint in Abuja Tuesday.

    Berry who spoke at a forum to mark one year of CERPAC project, disclosed that the federal government decision to increase the number of CERPAC centres to almost all states of the federation has helped to prevent unscrupulous foreigners and their Nigerian collaborators from perpetrating crimes, including sponsorship of acts of terrorism within the country.

    Specifically he said the newly introduced  ‘Know Your Immigration Status’, a new technology-based innovation by CONTEC  for expatriates to authenticate the status of their CERPAC in Nigeria, has created a safety barrier between touts and middle men who, hitherto, take advantage of foreigners adding that the company also upgraded its facility at various international airports with the deployment of latest super field verification station card scanners and sophisticated data capture with  bio metric  equipment to check illegal entry with fake resident permits and visas.

    Before now there were only eight centres that issued the CERPAC but its decentralization has seen additional 28 centres across Nigeria that now issue the card, making it a total of 35 centers.
    At present, only Borno and Yobe, two states that have been embroiled in lingering security, are without CERPAC centres.

    It would be recalled that last month the Heads of Immigration Services from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member countries were in Nigeria during which they visited the NIS CERPAC centre in Abuja.

    Sequel to that visit, they made some recommendations, which revealed that they are willing to adopt the Nigerian CERPAC model for the sub-region.

    Berry who conducted the 16 members ECOWAS Heads of Immigration Services  round the facility put in place for CERPAC project said, “The  heads of immigration in ECOWAS States were impressed with the state of the art equipment  and  have endorsed  the establishment a Migration Training Academy and similar card issuance model for Ecowas states  as part of measures to effectively manage migration and emerging trends associated with movement of persons across borders.”

    Speaking on how this could improve immigration services in Nigeria and African states, Dr. Berry said: “Nigeria and most African countries need to evolve smart ways of nipping security threats in their countries through identity manipulation and theft.”

    Berry said this could only be achieved through the adoption and deployment of smart technologies.  He said, “Smart technology remains the best means of identifying and stamping out perpetrators of terrorism and other crimes that threatens nations like Nigeria.”

    Pressed further, he said, “CERPAC is an embodiment of such technologies.  The CONTEC boss who expressed satisfaction with the level of commitment and performance of the CERPAC project said his company has also created several technologies that would make international passports and other identification documents harder to forge.

  • Extortion: NIS bans cash payments at passport offices

    Extortion: NIS bans cash payments at passport offices

    The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has banned cash payments for passport processing as part of efforts to eliminate corruption at all passport offices nationwide.‎

    NIS spokesperson, Sunday James, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.

    He‎ said that the Comptroller General of the NIS, Mr Muhammad Babandede, has directed that henceforth all payments for passport processing must be done online and through designated banks‎.‎

    He said that the NIS boss had, in a circular, directed‎ all passport control officers not to allow cash payments in any of the passport premises.
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    “All payments in respect to passport processing are to be done by applicants through banks to generate application ID and reference number on the NIS portal and not through an individual or touts,” James said.
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    According to him, the NIS CG has also ordered an‎ investigation into allegations of passport racketeering at some passport offices in Lagos with a view to sanitising the system.‎

    James therefore urged passport applicants to ensure that all categories of Nigerian passports fees were done online.    ‎
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    “Passport applicants are therefore strongly advised to visit the NIS website www.immigration.gov.ng to confirm the approved fees for all categories of Nigerian Passports and age groups before making payments,” he added.

    He said that the management of all passport offices have been directed to paste all information required at the premises to guide applicants in line with the executive orders.
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    He urged Nigerians to direct any complaint or enquiries to 07080607900 and the email address nis.servicom@nigeriaimmigration.gov.ng.
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    The spokesperson advised applicants against patronising touts or agents‎ in order to ensure efficient service delivery.
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    The NIS boss had vowed to stamp out corruption in the operations of the NIS as part of efforts to reposition the Service and ensure efficient service delivery.