The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mrs. Kemi Nandap has revealed that the service is strengthening Nigeria’s border management architecture through digital technology, biometric identity systems, intelligence sharing, and deeper collaboration with border communities.
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mrs. Kemi Nandap, disclosed this on Monday in Lagos during the African Borderlands Research Network (ABORNE) 2026 conference.
She stated that the transformation has become imperative as shifting migration patterns, regional integration, cross-border economic activities, and evolving security threats continue to reshape Africa’s border regions.
The conference, themed “The Connected Borderlands: Socio-Cultural Integration and the Centrality of Policy, Research, and Security,” brought together scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and development partners to examine the changing dynamics of border management across the continent.
According to Nandap, borders should no longer be viewed merely as geographical lines separating sovereign states, but as dynamic hubs where families, communities, and cultures interact, and where legitimate commerce and mobility take place.
She noted that the central challenge for governments is safeguarding these corridors while facilitating lawful transit, enhancing regional cooperation, and preserving the socio-cultural ties that sustain border communities.
She pointed out that modern border security threats including human trafficking, migrant smuggling, identity fraud, organized crime, terrorism, and cyber-enabled offenses increasingly cut across national jurisdictions.
“Addressing them requires us to work differently and, importantly, to work together,” she said.
The NIS boss explained that the agency is pairing the professional judgment and operational experience of its personnel with advanced technology, actionable intelligence, and inter-agency cooperation to respond to emerging risks.
Outlining Nigeria’s trajectory in modernizing border controls, she noted that the country became the first African nation to introduce the electronic passport in 2007. Nigeria has since deployed an enhanced e-passport with advanced biometric protections, while fully automating application workflows, payment systems, vetting processes, and identity verification.
She added that centralizing passport personalization has bolstered both operational efficiency and document integrity.
She also noted Nigeria’s participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Public Key Directory (ICAO PKD) continues to reinforce global trust in the authentication of Nigerian travel documents, while contactless biometric services have made passport issuance far more accessible to citizens in the diaspora.
Nandap also highlighted the deployment of automated border control systems, including e-gates, across Nigeria’s international airports. She stated that these installations are streamlining passenger clearance by pairing biometric verification with faster, more secure border protocols.
These initiatives, she noted, are supported by targeted investments in surveillance equipment, command-and-control infrastructure, communications networks, and integrated data platforms spanning air, land, and maritime borders.
She stressed, however, that these technological investments are purpose-driven rather than ornamental.
“Their fundamental purpose is to enhance the capacity of our officers to make timely and well-informed decisions, identify emerging risks at an earlier stage, improve operational coordination, and facilitate the seamless movement of legitimate travelers while safeguarding national security,” she said.
The NIS chief reiterated that technology cannot supplant human capability, noting that sound judgment, professionalism, and integrity remain vital to effective border governance.
She also advocated for stronger grassroots partnerships, describing border communities as strategic allies whose local insight is essential to national security.
The Chairman of ABORNE, Prof. Paul Nugent, observed that public health emergencies such as Ebola and COVID-19, alongside regional insurgencies, have regularly placed border areas at the center of restrictive security interventions, frequently triggering prolonged closures.
Nugent explained that ABORNE aims to bridge the gap between academia and policy by actively engaging border enforcement agencies, policymakers, and field practitioners.
Rather than viewing borderlands solely through the prism of fragility or illicit activity, he emphasized that scholars are reframing these corridors as vibrant hubs of commerce, urban innovation, and cultural exchange.
Prof. Anthony Asiwaju, former Director of the Centre for African Regional Integration and Border Studies, also commended the network for fostering actionable discourse on cross-border integration.