The Federal Government has said that the entire border surveillance system is being automated to enhance security in the country.
Minister of Interior Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made this known on Thursday in Abuja during an inspection of the ongoing construction and installation work at the Command-and-Control Centre for e-gates at airports and border control data centre, both housed within the Nigeria Immigration Service headquarters.
He expressed satisfaction with the quality of work and the speed, noting that the first phase of the whole automation of the surveillance border system would be completed by October 2024.
He also revealed that the construction and installation work at the Command-and-Control Centre at NIS is 100 per cent complete and ready for commissioning by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He also noted that the e-border project was over 60 per cent complete.
“We are waiting for Mr President. We have already notified the president and I am happy that the media have seen the place and you know it is 100 per cent ready to go”, he said.
Tunji-Ojo said the automation of the border surveillance system would check cross-border crimes and irregular migration as there would be real-time monitoring of borders from the NIS headquarters.
The Minister maintained that securing the border was key in terms of securing the nation, adding that the current administration under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not leaving any stone unturned in the quest to make Nigeria a safe country where people should be able to sleep with their two eyes closed.
He said, “On the border management solutions, we have gone very far. At the moment, I think we have done 60 per cent in terms of deployment because what we saw the other time had to do with the air border solution, which is the Command and Control Centre, the e-Gates that we have. But we are not just talking about air borders or airports; we are also talking about our land borders, and even the land borders, as we know, are more porous—both land and sea borders.
“What we are doing now is automating the whole surveillance system in our border space, and in real-time, we can view a lot of our borders at this moment, and I won’t want to disclose more.
“But the simple truth is we are automating the whole process, and I think by October, Phase 1 of the whole border surveillance system would have been completed, and from here we can view, see kilometres away from the border before people even come into Nigeria.
“Also, there is a solution that enables people in the border areas to communicate directly if there is an emergency. They can report issues, and there are solutions as to how we don’t take their reports or complaints but that we can swing into action.
“We want to make our borders as interactive and safe as possible because, from a larger perspective, the belief of Mr. President is that a secure border is a secure nation. So, securing our border is very key in terms of securing our nation, and the administration of President Bola Tinubu is not leaving any stone unturned in the quest to make Nigeria a safe country for people to be able to sleep with their two eyes closed.
“But I can tell you, anyone who thinks that he can perpetrate illegality within our border space should be prepared for the consequences. We are renewing the hopes of Nigerians in all areas of life. This is just Phase 1, and we will soon start Phase 2.
“We will do it in such a way that the entire 4,447 kilometres of Nigeria’s border are secured. The journey of a thousand miles starts with a step. We have started now, and we are not going back until Nigerians can sleep with their two eyes closed.”.
The Comptroller General of Immigration Service, Kemi Nanna Nandap, revealed that officers and men have been well motivated and are currently undergoing extensive training on the e-solutions.
“We are over 60 per cent done with regards to the border management solutions, and our officers and men are also being trained currently. We are ready, and our officers are well motivated,” she said.
Nandap added that the border communities have been sensitised on how to collaborate with the service, adding that the NIS has opened a communication line with the communities in order to be able to get relevant information from them.
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