Jonathan launches new e-passport

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday launched Nigeria’s new 64-page e-passport with a call on Nigerians to protect the image of the country by shunning uncomplimentary statements and actions.

Jonathan launched the traveling document shortly before the commencement of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He and Vice President Namadi Sambo later took turns to be captured in order to be issued with the new traveling document.

The President said the pages of the traveling document had to be increased from 32 to 64 to cater for frequent travelers who change their passport almost every other month because of limited pages for visa.

He tasked officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service to protect the integrity of the passport by ensuring that it cannot be easily faked.

He also asked officials who man the nation’s airports to ensure that they conduct themselves in a manner that will portray the country well before visitors.

The new passport which takes effect from August 1 attracts a fee of N20,000.

Source: The Punch

Immigration officers batter UNICAL lecturer

A lecturer in the Department of Business Management, University of Calabar, Mr. Okon Effiong Ekpenyong, has lost four teeth after he was allegedly brutalised by some officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Cross River State command, for traffic offence.

Ekpenyong, who narrated his ordeal to PUNCH Metro on Thursday, said his vehicle developed a minor fault on Bassey Oqua Street in Calabar, near the NIS headquarters. He said after fixing it, he was leaving the area when the officials accosted and assaulted him, saying he made a U-turn at an unauthorised point.

Nigeria has over 1,400 Illegal Border Routes - Immigration Boss

The Comptroller General of NIS, David Parradang, made the disclosure while addressing the National Conference Committee on Immigration. The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), on Wednesday 23 April in Abuja, disclosed that Nigeria has over 1,400 illegal border routes. NIS warned that this poses grave security implications for the country. He said that even though the country had only 84 approved land border control posts designated in the 1980s after the Maitatsine riots, ‘there are more than 1,400 illegal borders in the country’.

'Across the over 4,000 square kilometres coverage, we have well over 1,400 illegal routes which are not manned. The number of illegal routes is 100 times more than the number of approved routes.
“In Adamawa State for instance, we have about five control posts but we have 80 illegal routes in the state through which people come into the country.”

NIS tragedy: Moro, others must refund applicants, Reps PPC Chairman insists

ABUJA—The Chairman of  Public Petitions Committee in the House of Representatives, Mr. Uzo Azubuike, yesterday, insisted that the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro and authorities of the National Immigration Service, NIS, must refund the N1000 that were paid by applicants that participated in the botched recruitment exercise that claimed over 18 lives across the federation.
Speaking at an interactive meeting that was organized by Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, working on rights and governance issues, yesterday, Azubuike, described the recruitment tragedy as a national disgrace.

Nigeria Immigration Botched Recruitment: Victim's Families to get 3 slots each

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday ordered the cancellation of the nationwide recruitment exercise by the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, during which at least 19 applicants lost their lives and scores of others were injured last Saturday.
The cancellation of the recruitment exercise is coming on the heels of the widespread condemnation that trailed the tragic incident.
The President also ordered the conduct of a fresh recruitment into the NIS.
Labaran Maku, the Minister of Information who revealed this after Wednesday’s weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council, also said President Jonathan directed that the families of all those who lost their loved one would be given three slots automatically in a fresh recruitment exercise ordered by the President.
One of those to enjoy the automatic employment must be a woman.

Immigration jobs tragedy: President queries minister, NIS boss

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday queried the Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro; and the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Mr. David Paradang, over the loss of 18 lives during the NIS recruitment on Saturday.The 18 died during stampedes at the venues of the NIS recruitment in different parts of the country. The deaths have generated national uproar. The presidential query for the minister and the NIS CG came as the wife of the Senate President David Mark, Helen, denied reported relationship with the consultants that handled the exercise.