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Nigeria’s Immigration undergoes historic transformation under Interior Minister’s leadership

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By Femi Salako

 

For years, Nigeria’s immigration system was marred by inefficiencies, bureaucratic bottlenecks, and security vulnerabilities.

But a remarkable transformation has occurred in the past year, signalling a new dawn for border governance, migration management, and passport administration.

Under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the firm leadership of Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has undergone a revolutionary shift that is earning widespread commendation.

From digitising border surveillance to eliminating passport backlogs and strengthening migration policies, the agency- led by the Comptroller General, Kemi Nandap—proves that efficiency, innovation, and security can go hand in hand.

One of the most notable achievements of the NIS is its aggressive deployment of technology to strengthen border security.

Through a series of border assessment tours, the agency has enhanced its commitment to interagency collaboration and community engagement, which is crucial for tackling cross-border crime.

Additionally, e-Border Solutions has bolstered national security, allowing for real-time surveillance and intelligence gathering at Nigeria’s borders.

Establishing a Command-and-Control Centre and deploying the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) have significantly improved the monitoring of travellers entering and exiting the country.

Perhaps the most ground-breaking reform is the installation of e-gates at international airports—a bold step towards contactless, efficient, and fraud-proof passenger clearance. These innovations reflect Nigeria’s commitment to global best practices in immigration management.

The Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex (BATTIC) commissioning further solidifies these reforms. Housing facilities such as the NIS Data Centre, ECOWAS Biometric Card Production Centre, and Visa Application Centre, BATTIC, are now the NIS’s technological nerve centre, ensuring data-driven decision-making and seamless service delivery.

 

Migration remains one of the most complex global challenges, and Nigeria is not exempt. However, the NIS has redesigned its approach, ensuring that policies reflect national security interests and humanitarian considerations.

A major highlight is the review of Nigeria’s visa policy, which streamlines and makes the process more investor-friendly. Additionally, the agency has intensified its nationwide awareness campaigns to educate citizens—particularly youths—on the dangers of irregular migration, human trafficking, and smuggling of migrants (SoM).

The NIS ensures that migration policies align with global human rights standards through strategic partnerships with international organisations like ECOWAS, IOM, UNODC, and FRONTEX.

Establishing a National Database for Smuggling of Migrants (SoM) and Trafficking in Persons (TIP), in collaboration with NAPTIP and the Nigerian Police, is a game-changer. It allows for centralised intelligence sharing, faster response times, and more effective prosecution of offenders.

Few aspects of immigration reform affect Nigerians more personally than passport processing. Passport issuance was plagued by delays, corrupt intermediaries, and bureaucratic hurdles for decades. But in an unprecedented feat, the NIS has cleared over 200,000 backlog applications—a move that has earned praise from citizens at home and abroad.

The agency has expanded passport front offices and rolled out the enhanced e-passport across several embassies worldwide, including Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Russia, and Saudi Arabia.

One of the most revolutionary changes is the decentralisation of Change of Data (CoD) applications, which are now processed across all passport offices nationwide. This eliminates the need for citizens to travel long distances to Abuja for simple modifications.

The Electronic Passport Management System (EPMS) has also improved transparency and efficiency in the application process by minimising third-party interference and reducing opportunities for corruption. Additionally, a contactless passport application system has been introduced in selected countries, setting a new standard for convenience.

With the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) PKD/PKI certification, Nigeria is aligning its passport system with global security benchmarks, making its passports more respected and accepted worldwide.

Behind every successful policy is an empowered, motivated, and well-trained workforce. Recognising this, the NIS has prioritised the capacity building of its personnel through specialised training programs. Officers have received advanced training in document fraud detection, migration data analysis, and e-border management.

A particularly notable initiative is the Chinese Communication Skills training, which equips officers to better interact with Chinese-speaking migrants and investors, given Nigeria’s deepening economic ties with China.

Moreover, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has spearheaded a historic welfare reform: the payment of outstanding allowances, including repatriation and death benefits for previously neglected officers.

In a record-breaking promotion exercise, 14,000 officers were elevated, boosting morale and reinforcing the commitment to service excellence.

The ministry has also initiated discussions with the Federal Housing Authority to provide affordable housing for officers, ensuring that those who protect Nigeria’s borders have decent living conditions.

These achievements have not gone unnoticed. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has commended Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo and Comptroller General Kemi Nandap on various occasions for their unwavering commitment to service excellence and pivotal roles in the transformation of the NIS. Their efforts align perfectly with the Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to reposition Nigeria as a global leader in efficient governance and citizen-focused service delivery.

As the nation continues on this path of progressive immigration reforms, Nigerians must support the continuity of Kemi Nandap’s leadership in the NIS. Her ability to work seamlessly with the Ministry of Interior has been instrumental in driving sustainable reforms that enhance national security, ease travel experiences, and promote economic opportunities. Her expertise, dedication, and results-oriented approach make her indispensable in Nigeria’s immigration landscape.

Under the leadership of Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo and Comptroller General Kemi Nandap, the Nigeria Immigration Service is no longer the inefficient, outdated agency it once was. Instead, it is a model of efficiency, innovation, and service excellence.

The Renewed Hope Agenda is a slogan and an action plan yielding visible results. Nigerians can now access passports faster, travellers experience smoother border processes, and the country’s security architecture is becoming more intelligence-driven and technologically advanced.

As these reforms continue, the NIS is proving that with visionary leadership, political will, and strategic partnerships, Nigeria can build a modern, responsive, and globally respected immigration system.

The message is clear: Nigeria’s borders are more secure, migration policies are more humane, and passport services are more efficient. The future of Immigration in Nigeria is bright.

*Salako is the Chief Executive Officer of Triangle International Media

 

 

Photo of Baliks Sulainon Baliks Sulainon Send an email
0 4 minutes read
Photo of Baliks Sulainon

Baliks Sulainon

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RIVERS PEOPLE, BEWARE OF DISTANT VOICES: A RESPONSE TO PROF. FEMI OTUBANJO I read with considerable concern the recent commentary by Professor Femi Otubanjo on Arise TV (Thursday, 28 May 2026), in which he sought to lecture the people of Rivers State on the supposed dangers of the political realignment around the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barr. Nyesom Wike, CON. With all due respect to the Professor’s academic standing, his intervention compels a firm reply- both for the record and for the protection of our state from the steady traffic of distant commentary that increasingly seeks to dictate what Rivers people should think, feel, and do. The Question No One is Asking: Let me begin with the question that polite analysis has avoided: what exactly is the business of an Abuja-based academic in the internal political affairs of Rivers State? Rivers is not short of analysts, elders, traditional rulers, professionals, and statesmen who have lived through the dynamics being discussed. We do not require imported interpretation of our own history. When commentators from outside our state appoint themselves the conscience of our politics, I see it as a subtle insult and we are entitled to ask, courteously but firmly: on whose behalf, and to what end? Every state in this country has its share of unresolved questions. We have not heard Rivers analysts setting themselves up as the moral compass of other regions. That restraint is called respect. We expect the same in return. The Wike Record is a Record, Not a Rumour: The framing that Barr. Nyesom Wike is somehow “imposing” himself on Rivers politics is an insult to the intelligence of every Rivers person. The Honourable Minister served this state as Governor for eight consecutive years. He transformed our capital, expanded our institutions, exposed our professionals — myself included — to advanced strategic training, and projected the name of Rivers State onto the national stage with a force we had not previously known. Today, his stewardship of the FCT has earned national acclaim and brought honour to every Rivers son and daughter. A man of that record is not an “external force.” He is the architect of the political structure under discussion. To treat him as an intruder is to rewrite recent history in plain daylight. On the Misnamed “Sidelining”: Professor Otubanjo speaks of the “ousting” of a sitting Governor as if it were a spontaneous act of malice. With respect, this framing skips over everything that matters. The fracture in Rivers did not begin with the current realignment; it began with a documented pattern of governance failures that the constitutional institutions of our state have been compelled to address — failures we Rivers people lived through, in real time, while distant commentators were silent or oblivious. To skip over the substance and arrive at “sympathy for the underdog” is not analysis. It is editorial. The Sympathy Vote Theory Has Already Been Tested: The Professor suggests that Rivers voters may revolt in sympathy. This is the kind of armchair hypothesis that sounds clever in a television studio but collapses on contact with reality. The FCT Area Council results, the orderly emergence of candidates across our APC primaries- governorship, National Assembly, State Assembly — and the visible consolidation of the political base in Rivers all tell a different story. The data does not support the Professor’s prediction. Rivers people have already spoken with their feet. A Pattern We Must Recognise: I am compelled to draw the attention of my fellow Rivers people to something larger than a single television interview. There is a discernible pattern of voices, conveniently located outside Rivers, who have suddenly developed a passionate interest in our internal affairs. Some are sincere. Many are not. The question every discerning Rivers person must ask is: why now, why these voices, and who benefits when our unity is unsettled? This is the season in which a state’s future is decided. It is also the season in which interlopers and saboteurs find their loudest voices. We have seen this script before, in other states, and we have seen what happens to states that allow themselves to be steered from outside. A Call to Rivers People: My fellow Rivers people, the future of our state must be authored by us, for us. Let us not be distracted, divided, or directed by voices that have no stake in our soil. Let us close ranks behind the leadership that has delivered for us, time and time again the leadership of Barr. Nyesom Wike, whose record speaks even when his critics shout. Let us support the candidates he has helped present, from the governorship down to every House of Assembly seat. This is not blind followership. It is informed loyalty rooted in evidence, history, and lived experience. To do otherwise to allow distant analysts to lecture us into doubt is to surrender our agency at the precise moment when it matters most. Rivers State is too rich, too strategic, and too proud to be a chessboard on which others move pieces. Conclusion: I make these observations as an elder of Rivers State and as a citizen exercising my fundamental right to speak on matters affecting my people. I will not be intimidated into silence by the academic gowns of distant commentators, and I urge every Rivers person of conscience to refuse the same. We are mature enough, sophisticated enough, and politically aware enough to think for ourselves. The Honourable Minister of the FCT has earned our loyalty through years of demonstrated commitment. The 2027 election is ours to win, not anyone else’s to predict. Let Rivers people stand together, alert, united, and unmoved by the noise from outside. Dr. George C. Nwaeke, FCA, mni Former Head of Service, Rivers State

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