By Seun Adams
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Dr. Oluwatoyin Akinlade has challenged Officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on efficient and effective service delivery.
Improved service she added is a tool and pathway to bolstering Nigeria’s image.
The Permanent Secretary made the disclosure when she paid her first familiarisation visit to the NIS since her deployment to the Ministry of Interior.
Akinlade, acknowledged that the NIS is the first governmental agency that visitors and aliens coming into the country interface with.
According to her, NIS has a lot to do through improved service delivery to safeguard the country and improve it’s image in a positive way.
“There are lots of negative thoughts, when people visit Nigeria for one thing or the other; and we know that the first service delivery of any kind to visitors is with the Nigeria Immigration Service; therefore, the onus is on you to correct the wrong impression on negative reports they habour about Nigeria.” She said.
The Permanent Secretary however underscored the daunting challenges facing the NIS like the porous borders and paucity of transport facilities needed to manage migrants coming to the country assured that Government is desirous of leveraging on technology to redress the problem
She commended the Acting Comptroller on her humility and astute public relations as well as proactive steps towards accomplishing effective security boarder and migration management.
Akinlade praised the Service for the success recorded during her visitation to the Oba of Lagos and the Governor of Lagos State.
She added that as a result of this the Governor took step to address the accommodation challenge confronting the agency by donating a piece of land in Lagos for that purpose.
She stated: “All of us are Nigerians, we are working for Nigerians, we are working for the government for Nigerians, we are to serve the people just as the acting Comptroller General of Immigration is serving the people”
Akinlade, assured the Service of her support in all aspects especially with priority on Staff welfare to motivate the workforce as well as provision of utility vehicles to ease current transportation problems.
Earlier, the acting Comptroller General Immigration, Mrs. Caroline WuraOla Adepoju, while welcoming the august visitor, drew her attention to the challenges confronting the Service in areas of staff accommodation, more spacious office for Passport processing, Staff Training Improved Welfare, Transportation and Internet Connectivity in all borders posts in Nigeria.
Present at the familiarisation tour are Directors, senior personnel of the NIS as well as top Management staff of the Ministry