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Experts have urged immigration officers to leverage excellent leadership skills and emotional intelligence for optimal service delivery to enhance Nigeria’s global image.

The experts said this recently in Lagos at a workshop themed: “Improving Your Leadership Skills: The Emotional Intelligence Option.”
Chairman/Chief Consultant of Global Transport Policy Training Academy, Dr Segun Musa, explained that for Nigeria to have a good image globally, the immigration officers need to exhibit excellent leadership skills and skilful human interaction that will give a strong and pleasant impression on people.

According to Musa: “The first point of call into any country is the immigration. The officers are the image of the country. And the first impression matters most, and it goes a long way. If we don’t equip them with the necessary capacity to give us a good image, definitely we won’t get it right, and we will be sending the wrong signal to the rest of the world.

“We want Nigeria to be the best in terms of reception at the point of entry into our country and we have to ensure that we equip them with knowledge and capacity that will make them top-notch in the global world.”

Representative of the Assistant Controller-General, NIS, Zone A, Deputy Controller Gabrielle Owoh, said that continuous training on leadership is essential to the immigration department for improved service delivery.

According to Owoh the skills being taught, particularly emotional intelligence, humility, understanding, self-knowledge and personal development, must impact their daily operations for their goals to be achieved.

Director, Training, Global Transport Policy Training Academy, Dr Segun Awe-Obe, tasked immigration personnel on emotional intelligence and continuous personal development.

Emphasising empathy and 360-degree communication, he said that having excellent leadership skills not only affects their careers but every aspect of their life.

Stating that humans now live in an increasingly diverse and globalised place, the leadership trainer advised that having emotional intelligence helps navigate workplaces with cultural sensitivity.

“Leaders must be competent—that’s non-negotiable. It is not about you but about the people you lead. As competent leaders, it is your job to know what has to be done for a successful mission. You must realise the things you didn’t know, so you could surround yourself with technical experts and learn from them,” Awe-Obe said.

The programme brought together officers of various agencies, including the police, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), LASTMA, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Nigerian Customs Service, the Nigerian Correctional Service, the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Air Force, the Nigerian Navy, and the and the Nigerian Security & Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).