The Federal Government has committed to implementing stringent measures to curb the infiltration of illegal immigrants into the country and enhance national security. The government emphasized the need to put an end to the era where individuals easily enter the country with counterfeit travel documents.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, shared this commitment during a visit by the Director of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Dasuki Arabi, as reported in a statement by the Ministry’s Director of Press, Afonja Ajibola, on Saturday.
According to the statement, the minister emphasized the importance of securing Nigeria’s borders, stating that the ease with which illegal aliens enter the country with fake travel documents must be halted for effective security. He highlighted that the security of Nigeria is closely tied to the security of its borders.
Furthermore, Tunji-Ojo expressed the Ministry’s readiness to collaborate with the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) to address the nation’s security challenges, particularly in securing the borders.
“I am ready to actively collaborate with the Bureau of Public Service Reforms to find solutions to our security challenges,” the minister stated.
Earlier in the meeting, Dasuki Arabi explained that the BPSR is mandated by law to initiate, coordinate, and ensure the full implementation of federal government reform policies. He outlined the four pillars of Nigeria’s public service reforms, with the first pillar focusing on providing an enabling environment at both institutional and governmental levels to enhance national security.
Arabi detailed the second pillar’s emphasis on socio-economic targets in the realm of security. The third pillar, concerning public financial management reforms, includes initiatives like IPPIS, PMS, and single accounts to promote transparency in government. The fourth pillar centers on the reform of the Civil Service Administration, encompassing training for security-related officers in various services such as fire, civil defense, immigration, and correctional services.
“The fourth pillar relates to the reform of the Civil Service Administration itself; which involves training of security-related officers in fire, civil defence, immigration, and correctional services. He also said such training also focuses on officers still in service and those preparing to retire from service,” the statement concluded