Mrs.Josephine Piyo, Plateau deputy governor

Deputy Governor of Plateau state, Mrs Josephine Piyo, has tasked Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to intensify surveillance of  border areas in order to checkmate illegal migration in and out of the country. 

Piyo made the clarion call on Tuesday when she represented governor Caleb Mutfwang at the 60th anniversary celebration of the NIS in Jos. 

She said that the initiative would go a long way in addressing security challenges in the country and halt illegal migration by Nigerian youths seeking for greener pastures in other countries. 

“While regular migration is legal due to the growth in search for better job opportunities,  employment, wealth prospects, safety and security,high standards of living, among others, irregular migration, particularly among youths has become a menace.

“The influx and outflow of authorised persons in Nigeria, has assumed an alarming rate and to a large extend contributed to the current security challenges in our dear nation.

“The NIS need to intensify surveillance on our borders to ensure illegal migrants do not gain entry unauthorised, especially those who come in to terrorise our citizens. 

“This suggest why the theme of the occasion “Enhancing Seamless Regular Migration” is apt, this is a reminder on the Nigerian Immigration Service and other security agencies the need to intensify efforts toward ensuring only authorise persons move in and out of this country.

“The quest for wealth and better life has further exacerbated the rise in illegal migration among young Nigerians, this, the authority must be fast in addressing.
In a remark, the Comptroller of Immigration in Plateau state, Cyril Alaje said that the service has successfully used its instruments of Passport and Visa issuance for internal and external control of the movement of people entering and leaving Nigeria.

Alaje said that the NIS is a critical stakeholder in the success story of Free Trade Zones created across the country and has mitigated the acts of trafficking In Persons and smuggling of migrants. 

He added that the service’s presence is felt in the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) across the federation and has improved the passport regime from handwritten passport to Machine Readable Passport (MRP) to Harmonized Passport and to the present Enhanced Passport launched on 15th January, 2019. 

He stated that the new passport now has the ten (10) years validity and is polycarbonate (resistance to weather condition) and has more security features that makes it forge proof which also displaying Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage.

Alaje reiterated the service commitment to ensuring that the influx of illegal immigrants into the country is curtailed.