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… Meet Plateau Deputy Governor, GOC 3 Div
By Amos Odhe
State comptrollers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in the North East region, comprising Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Yobe and Plateau states on Wednesday met in the Plateau State capital to “strategize and re-direct energy, expertise and professionalism to achieving a water-tight border security for the North East.”
The state comptrollers, for Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Yobe and Plateau states, led by the coordinator of Zone C, Assistant Comptroller General (ACG) James Sunday, noted that the North East region, placed under Zone C, is one of the eight zones of the Nigeria Immigration Service and very crucial and critical to our National Security due to the experiences and security challenges that has bedeviled the region for over a decade.
Speaking at the end of the meeting, the zonal coordinator, Zone C, ACG James Sunday, summoned the team of State Comptrollers under the Zone for zonal meeting, after briefing the Comptroller General, Kemi Nana Nandap of the successful re-opening of the Nigerian borders with Niger as directed by President Bola Tinubu.
“I personally and physically supervised in Borno and Yobe states the re-opening of the border before returning to Abuja with my report of compliance with the directive. We have no option than to be determined to do things differently and to make a difference.
“We are not doing it through competition as it were, but complimentary engagement with other services and agencies that have business with securing our border frontiers.
“The zonal meeting with comptrollers from the North East states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Yobe and Plateau ended with collective agreement to make a difference by doing things differently.”
The team of NIS state comptrollers also visited the Plateau State Government House on a courtesy call on the state governor, Barr. Caleb Manasseh Muftwang, who was represented the deputy governor, Ngo Piyo Josephine.
The team also visited the General Officer Commanding 3 Division, Nigerian Army, and Commander, Operation Safe Haven, Maj. Gen. A.E. Abubakar in Jos, in a meeting with the chief of Staff, Hqtr 3 Div, Commander 3 Div Garrison, Principal Staff Officers and commanders, with related units and formations, presenting the compliments of the Comptroller General of Immigration Service during the working visit by the zonal coordinator to Jos.
Recall that the Comptroller General of NIS, Kemi Nana Nandap, on assumption of duty, was charged by the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo to achieve “zero tolerance for failure” and no excuse in the area of border management.
According to ACG Sunday James, “the team of state comptrollers specifically left the meeting with those words and are running with it. My officers and men must do same, for us to be on the same page. No idle moment.
“In the zone, after my resumption in January, we had our first zonal meeting in Gombe. We have had several talk shops on WhatsApp to tinker together. We have implemented strategies of real time reportage and report writing by field officers, the Divisional Immigration Officers (DIOs) at the local governments under each of the six (6) states filing in their SITREP and INTEL as it is happening for the Service Headquarters’ consumption and also the zonal headquarters.
“This has given direction to my coordination in Zone C. I have just returned from Maiduguri and Yobe State to re-open the borders with Niger as directed. The working visit to Borno and Yobe is to culminate into a Strategic Leadership Summit titled: ‘North East Border Security Summit’ to be sponsored by governors of the North East and Plateau under the chair of the executive governor of Borno State Prof.Babagana Umara Zullum, who indicated interest to host the meeting in Maiduguri.
“Gov Zulum has been at the forefront fighting the insecurity from all fronts and has assured that Borno State will host the meeting, and the Nigeria Immigration Service as the lead agency in border security and nigration management will lead others for this one of a kind border security summit, featuring governors of the North East states, all stakeholders including traditional leaders. Our expected outcome is that it snowball into a National Border Security Summit capturing all other aspects of our national security concern under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and giving Nigerians a renewed hope.
“A safe border is a safe nation, which will definitely come to a reality with all hands on deck, with everyone frontally supporting government efforts at all levels ward, local, state and at the national level”