By Matthew Denis
The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has emphasised that the proclamation of the regulations in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standard has been issued for the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) in Nigeria.
The Minister disclosed this during a meeting with the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, His Excellency, Dr. Richard Montgomery in Abuja.
According to the Minister, “Nigeria has struggled with this project since 2003. I am happy to inform you that we have it now. Obviously this will help in further securing our borders.”
Dr 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 database of travellers.
“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 the 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 MegaWatt 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.
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 the 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 Dr Tunji-Ojo, the fire academy will not only be for building the capacity of Nigerians, but also serve as a training hub for West Africa.
Earlier, the British High Commissioner, Dr Richard Montgomery 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.
The meeting had in attendance the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Aishetu Ndayako, Regional Migration Manager, Home Office International Operations, David Morath, and top management staff of the Ministry