By our correspondent
ABUJA – The National Association of Retired Immigration Officers has called on the Federal Government to urgently review the welfare and retirement conditions of officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service, saying their contributions to national security and border protection have been largely overlooked.
The President of the association, CIS Charles E. Okafor, PhD, fsi, pcc+, made the call on Wednesday at the maiden Annual General Meeting of the association held at Merit House, Maitama, Abuja.
Okafor said the NIS should be given greater attention in Nigeria’s security architecture, arguing that the service’s core mandate extends beyond passport issuance to migration management and border security.
According to him, the public perception of the NIS as an agency primarily responsible for passport administration had contributed to the inadequate attention given to its security responsibilities.
“The core duty of Nigeria Immigration Service is Migration Management and Border Security in times of peace,” he said, adding that immigration authorities in countries such as the United States, Spain and Canada played significant roles in homeland security and border protection.
The NARIO president expressed concern over what he described as the neglect of immigration officers compared with personnel of other security agencies, particularly in the areas of welfare, insurance and retirement benefits.
He noted that several immigration officers had lost their lives while performing their duties, stressing that the sacrifices of serving and retired personnel should not be overlooked.
“We hear about the military and other security agencies’ packages and welfare, while Immigration Officers are so relegated and neglected as if the NIS is not one of the security agencies in Nigeria,” Okafor said.
He urged the Federal Government, the Nigeria Immigration Service, its governing board and the Federal Ministry of Interior to revisit the conditions of service and retirement benefits of immigration personnel.
Okafor also cautioned against what he described as the proliferation of agencies performing border-security functions without first addressing the funding, manpower, equipment and welfare challenges confronting the NIS.
He said calls for the creation of additional border-security agencies should prompt questions about the existing capacity of the NIS.
“How much is NIS funded? Why is NIS not optimally effective and efficient? What is the welfare of NIS officers?” he asked.
According to him, addressing such issues would contribute more meaningfully to strengthening Nigeria’s border-security architecture than simply creating additional agencies.
In her address to NARIO, the Comptroller General of the NIS, Kemi Nana-Nandap emphasised the need to tap retirees’ expertise through the establishment of a resource centre.
Represented by the Assistant Comptroller General, Jika Ogbeche at the NARIO AGM in Abuja, CGI said the Resource Centre will be established to harness the experience and expertise of retired officers for improved efficiency and service delivery; adding that it would provide a platform for retirees to share their wealth of knowledge with serving officers.
She also disclosed that she had directed the Finance and Administration Department to commence the process of clearing outstanding health benefits, repatriation expenses and other allowances accrued to retired officers.
The CG assured the retirees that the Service remained committed to improving their welfare while leveraging their expertise to strengthen the NIS.
The association, which was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission on October 20, 2022, used the maiden AGM to formally bring its activities to greater national and international attention.
The AGM was held under the theme, “Strengthening Institutional Capacity and Autonomy Amidst Operational Challenges: Repositioning the Nigeria Immigration Service for Border Security, Revenue Generation, Investment Promotion and Sustainable National Development.”