The Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, is set to deploy helicopters and drones for the effective surveillance of the nation’s borders.
The Acting Comptroller General, NIS, Mrs. Wuraola Adepoju who stated this at a one day retreat of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport NIS Command, Lagos also disclosed that, early next year, the service would introduce Electronic Gate for seamless entry of Nigerians coming into the country
According to Mrs. Adepoju, the present administration is passionate about border security and has concluded plans to acquire more equipment to monitor its borders.
She said, drones and helicopters were key in ensuring effective aerial border management of the country.
“The minister of interior Dr. Olubumni Tunji Ojo is passionate about border security in Nigeria. We are doing everything we can to ensure that NIS gets its aircraft back, we used to have aircraft for border surveillance we are now putting this into our budget”.
On Electronic Gate soon to be introduced by the service, Mrs Adepoju said, the technology was meant for speedy facilitation of Nigerians coming into the country.
“Once you are a Nigerian and coming in, there is this e-gate once you place your passport, it would read it, ascertain your identity through biometric and once identified, you can come in”.
Speaking on the theme of the retreat: ‘Inter-Agency: One Impression project at the Gateway’, the NIS Ag. CG appealed to officers of the service to be diligent in their duty, adding that, a polite and efficient security personnel can help reduce stress and anxiety that passengers may feel during security checks.
The Assistant Comptroller General, Zone A, Mr. Kehinde Sadiq in his opening remarks emphasized that, an essential aspect of airport security agencies is the ability to engage with passengers and provide them with information in a clear and respectful manner as this will not only enhance the overall experience but also contributes to a positive impression.
General Manager South West Airports and Airport Manager, MMIA, Mr. Sunday Ayodele said, effective collaboration among various agencies would help Passengers experience a hassle-free transition from check-in to boarding.
“How do your attend to passengers, how do you greet them? Our conveniences at the airport speaks volumes, the cooling system speaks volumes, these are all impressions of people. When you greet a passenger four times, Oga, I dey greet you or today is Friday it speaks volumes, there is a meaning to that, these are things that should not be heard amongst us”.
NIS Comptroller Lagos Airport Command, Mrs. Adeola Adesokan harped on efficiency and speed, saying, long queues, delays, and disorganization can frustrate passengers and leave a negative impression if there was no collaboration among the agencies.
Our goal is to make only one impression at this gateway, if the impression and experience at this gateway is bad, it can make or mar the nation. That is why, we have to come together, the security agencies and the stakeholders because it takes two to tangle”.
She urged, Security agencies, airlines, customs, immigration, and law enforcement to work together seamlessly to create one impression.
