Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has witnessed robust reforms by deploying information technology to drive its operations and prepare for emerging challenges associated with migration.

Comptroller of the service in Niger State, Samuel Nongo, who stated this at the diamond jubilee of the service in Minna, yesterday, pointed out that “the service is also properly repositioned” to handle migration management in line with international best practice.

Nongo disclosed that the service was the first in Africa to key into the latest international reforms in travel documents, which earned it the Best Performing Agency in Ease of Doing Business award by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council.

According to him, the 60th anniversary is designed to commemorate the journey so far, and to mark the significant milestones achieved by the service within the period.

The comptroller, who maintained that “NIS is the lead agency in migration management,” admonished government and stakeholders to invest in migration management to minimise trans-border crimes.

He said: “The citizens, too, must change their orientation to stop harbouring irregular migrants because of the dangers it portends.”

Noting that the journey began as a department of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in 1958, and later established as an agency of government by Act of Parliament in 1963, he said the service was granted para-military status following structural reforms in 1992.

He advised Niger government to look into the state security architecture to bring all security agencies on board in tackling insecurity in the state.

Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago, enjoined NIS to intensify efforts towards ensuring strict migration guidelines in the country.

Represented by his deputy, Yakubu Garba, the governor expressed excitement with improvements in the issuance of travel documents, passports to Nigerians within and outside the country, as well as issuance of residence permits to foreigners by NIS.

Commending NIS for sustaining and strengthening the country’s security, he advised the service to also intensify surveillance on illegal migrants, through effective and efficient border security management.

The governor, however, assured of his government’s support to the service in the discharge of its responsibilities.