The Special Adviser to the Governor on Immigration Matters, DCI Ubong Ekpenyong-Nsaumo, JP (Rtd.), has pledged stronger collaboration between the Cross River State Government and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to strengthen immigration management, security, refugee protection and other migration-related matters in the state.
The Special Adviser made the commitment when she led her team on an official visit to the newly posted Comptroller of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Cross River State Command, Comptroller Okey Chinedu Anyanwa, MBA, PSC.
Ekpenyong-Nsaumo appealed to the Comptroller to ensure that immigration officers posted to the various Local Government Areas take their responsibilities seriously, particularly in the effective monitoring and documentation of migrants and irregular migrants.
She specifically called for increased attention to Akamkpa Local Government Area, stressing the need for proper immigration monitoring and documentation in the area. She also expressed readiness to work closely with the Command to improve service delivery and promote effective coordination between the State Government and the NIS.
The Special Adviser noted that immigration matters had, over the years, received limited attention and were not adequately integrated into several government policies and programmes. She said the administration of Governor Bassey Edet Otu recognised the importance of effective immigration management and consequently created the office of Special Adviser on Immigration Matters to strengthen coordination between the State Government and the NIS.
Ekpenyong-Nsaumo said she would leverage her experience as a former immigration officer, having served in various units and departments, including the Passport Office, Migration and Investigation, as well as her experience as Immigration Attaché at the Nigerian High Commission in Nairobi, Kenya, to advocate greater inclusion of the NIS in programmes relating to state security.
She expressed appreciation to Governor Otu for recognising the strategic importance of the Immigration Service and creating the office, assuring the Command that she would use her experience and professional networks to advance issues affecting the Service and improve migration management in the state.
The Special Adviser also assured the Command that concerns raised regarding the accessibility of passport services in northern Cross River would receive her attention. She said she would present the long-standing proposal for a passport office in Ogoja to Governor Otu and explore avenues for its revival.
She explained that the immediate step would be to ascertain whether the facility earlier proposed for the passport office was still available, after which efforts could be made to secure the necessary equipment from the NIS headquarters in Abuja. She assured residents of northern Cross River that she would work towards making passport services more accessible to them.
Responding, the Comptroller of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Cross River State Command, Okey Chinedu Anyanwa, welcomed the Special Adviser and expressed his readiness to work closely with her to ensure that the responsibilities assigned to her by the State Government were successfully fulfilled. He also expressed hope that other state governors would emulate the initiative.
Anyanwa highlighted logistics as one of the major challenges confronting the Command, particularly the shortage of vehicles for surveillance operations, stressing that “any command without logistics cannot function.” He also appealed for a coastal bus to facilitate migration operations and repatriation, explaining that the Command previously hired buses but could no longer sustain the recurring cost.
On electricity, the Comptroller disclosed that only the Comptroller’s Office and the Passport Controller’s Office currently have electricity and appealed for additional solar panels to power other offices.
He also raised concerns over the poor condition of the Command’s parade ground, which he said had become overgrown with weeds, as well as inadequate basic equipment, including photocopiers and printers. He noted that officers sometimes had to take official documents to business centres for photocopying, describing the situation as inappropriate.
The Comptroller further disclosed that although the Command has office spaces, several lack basic furniture such as chairs and tables, while the Comptroller’s Office itself requires urgent attention. He appealed for improved working conditions and other incentives to enable officers to discharge their responsibilities effectively.
The Assistant Comptroller of Immigration and Passport Control Officer, ACI Nkwo Nkwo, called for greater involvement of immigration officers in the issuance of certificates of origin to prevent non-Nigerians from obtaining the documents for passport production. He commended the State Government for creating the office of Special Adviser on Immigration and appealed to Governor Otu to direct the State Government to liaise with the NIS headquarters on the matter.
Also speaking, the Officer in Charge of the Investigation Unit, ACI L.O. Umanah, recalled that the Cross River State Command had approached the State Government as far back as 2001 for the establishment of a passport office in Ogoja. He said residents of northern Cross River often travel to Ebonyi State to obtain passports because of the distance from the area to Calabar.
The visit was aimed at strengthening institutional collaboration and improving coordination between the Cross River State Government and the Nigeria Immigration Service on migration management, security and related matters.
By Daniel Nsa and Victoria Egba
