By Hillary Asemota
After 21 years, the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Monday said the proclamation of the regulations which in line with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standard has been issued for the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) in Nigeria.
The Minister made the disclosure with excitement during a meeting with the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery in Abuja.
The Director Press and Public Relations, Ozoya Imohimi, in a statement, quoted the Minister as saying that Nigeria has struggled with this project since 2003, adding: “I am happy to inform you that we have it now. Obviously this will help in further securing our borders”.
Tunji-Ojo said with the recent development, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), now has the capacity to screen people in an objective manner as the solution developed is linked with the interpol 24/7 which enables them to know and query the data base of travelers.
“Before people come to Nigeria now, we have the opportunity of knowing who they are, querying their database and of course the solution developed is linked with interpol 24/7, so we have the capacity to screen people in an objective manner. We had to remove subjectivity from our dictionary with regards to border control as possible “he said.
The Minister also noted that all the e-gates installed at the International Airports in Nigeria are intelligence gates of UK standards; which shows the level of collaboration and faith that Nigeria has in the border control capability of United Kingdom. The E- gate screens in 24 seconds. This is the fastest that was seen.
“We are doing a lot in border control, we will still do more. We are building a solar band of 1 Mega Watt to be able to power all critical infrastructure of the NIS. We believe that by doing this people will begin to have faith in Nigeria “he said.
While also speaking on the reforms in the Federal Fire Service, the Minister said his Ministry is investing massively in the Fire Academy in Abuja to achieve the world class standard. “We are investing very massively in our Fire Academy in Abuja and we thought we need to understudy the fire and emergency response system in the United Kingdom. By the Constitution of Nigeria, the main responsibility of government is the security and protection of lives and property. Fire service is critical in that regard.
In a country of 200 million people and with an emerging economy; it is important for us to have a vibrant fire service.”
He revealed that the Ministry is working on the amendment of the Federal Fire Service Act to upgrade to a Fire Rescue and Safety Service, as safety is important to issues of today.
“I know that fire and emergency response in the UK is top notch. We need to get the best solution in the world; and it has to be something you can bench mark.”
According to Tunji-Ojo, the fire academy will not only be for building the capacity of Nigerians, but also serve as training hub for West Africa.
Earlier, the British High Commissioner, congratulated the minister for progress made so far in the Passport system. Other discussions centred on collaboration to enhance the efficiency of Nigeria fire and emergency response system, capacity management and National Resilience Programme amongst others.