Toyyibat Qasim
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap, has warned newly promoted senior officers against bribery, extortion, corruption and abuse of office, insisting that misconduct will not be tolerated under her leadership.
Nandap gave the warning on Thursday during the decoration ceremony for 106 newly promoted comptrollers at the service’s headquarters in Abuja.
Although 106 officers were promoted, 12 had already retired, leaving 94 to receive their decorations at the ceremony.
The Immigration boss charged the newly elevated officers to see their promotion as a call to greater responsibility, accountability and exemplary leadership, rather than an opportunity to wield power over subordinates or members of the public.
She stressed that corruption, extortion, abuse of authority, professional negligence and indiscipline had no place in the service’s ongoing reform agenda.
According to her, the officers must demonstrate zero tolerance for misconduct and ensure that personnel under their supervision understand the consequences of violating professional standards.
Nandap said the new rank represented more than an additional badge of authority, describing it as a greater burden of public trust and a demand for higher standards of conduct.
She urged the officers to move beyond routine execution of directives to making sound policy decisions, exercising good judgment and inspiring their respective teams.
The Comptroller-General further challenged them to prioritise results over mere activities and leadership over the exercise of authority, stressing that the service needed effective leaders rather than an increase in the number of senior officers.
“Leading by example is not optional. You cannot demand integrity from others while compromising your own,” she said.
Nandap maintained that public confidence in the Immigration Service could not be sustained without accountability, urging the new comptrollers to distinguish themselves through efficiency, discipline, professionalism and integrity.
She also highlighted ongoing reforms aimed at transforming the service into an intelligence-led and technology-driven institution.
The reforms, she said, included the deployment of e-Border systems, the Border Control and Immigration Management System, passenger data systems, e-Gates and electronic visa administration.
However, she cautioned that technological advancement alone could not compensate for weak leadership, ineffective supervision and a lack of accountability.
She therefore directed the newly promoted officers to ensure that the reforms translated into improved service delivery across all commands, border posts and airports, rather than remaining concentrated at the headquarters.
The Immigration chief also emphasised the need for officers to treat members of the public with dignity, fairness and respect, noting that every passport application, border crossing and immigration inquiry involved real people whose rights must be respected.
She added that national security and efficient service delivery must complement each other.
In his remarks, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, who attended the ceremony as special guest, pledged stronger collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force and the Immigration Service.
Disu said both agencies depended on one another for intelligence sharing, operational support and joint efforts to safeguard the country.
He urged the newly promoted comptrollers to regard their elevation as an opportunity to demonstrate greater responsibility, discipline, humility and integrity in the discharge of their duties.
The police chief also acknowledged the contributions of the officers’ spouses, noting that they deserved recognition for their support.
The ceremony was attended by heads and representatives of other security and paramilitary agencies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and Federal Fire Service, as well as the Minister of Interior.
Meanwhile, the Human Resources Directorate of the Immigration Service disclosed that thousands of personnel had benefited from promotions under Nandap’s leadership.
The directorate said 8,502 officers were promoted from Assistant Inspector III to Assistant Inspector I, while 75 officers moved from Assistant Inspector II, alongside hundreds of other personnel elevated across various ranks.
The service said the promotions formed part of efforts to strengthen its workforce and improve operational efficiency.
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