The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has unveiled its 2025 national sensitisation campaign aimed at enhancing transparency, improving service delivery and deepening anti-corruption reforms across its operations.
The initiative was formally launched at a ceremony in Abuja attended by senior immigration officers, representatives of security agencies, members of the diplomatic corps, civil society groups and the media.
Comptroller General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, said the campaign—tagged “Elevating for Transparency and Efficiency: Strengthening Service Delivery and Combating Corruption through Reforms”—reflects the Service’s renewed commitment to accountability and modern, citizen-focused operations.
“This campaign is not merely a slogan,” she said. “It is our collective pact with Nigerians that service must be transparent, efficient and accountable.”
Nandap highlighted sweeping digital upgrades within the NIS, including expanded automation of passport applications, biometric verification at borders and improved online tracking systems. These reforms, she noted, have shortened processing timelines nationwide while reducing opportunities for extortion.
She added that passport offices have been restructured to improve fairness and speed, supported by a 24-hour call centre and monitored digital channels to ensure timely response to complaints and enquiries.
“The worst thing that can happen to anyone is having issues and not knowing where to turn,” she said. “We corrected that by ensuring Nigerians always have someone listening and responding.”
Reiterating the Service’s zero-tolerance stance on corruption, the CG announced strengthened internal audits, stricter enforcement of ethical codes and enhanced disciplinary measures. Automated checkpoints and digital payments, she said, now limit cash-based interactions that previously created room for abuse.
Nandap also disclosed that officers are undergoing continuous training to align with global border management standards, while the NIS has strengthened collaboration with security agencies, multilateral institutions and the diplomatic community to support ongoing reforms.
“Change is difficult. Many people resist it,” she said. “But by engaging other agencies and bringing their personnel into our sensitisation sessions, they now understand why these reforms are needed and how to work with the new systems.”
A central message of the campaign is a warning to citizens against patronising touts and unofficial intermediaries.
“You can sit in the comfort of your home and apply for most of our services,” the CG stressed. “Follow our clearly outlined procedures. Do not put yourself at the mercy of anybody.”
She encouraged Nigerians to use official platforms—phone lines, websites, social media channels and suggestion boxes—for enquiries and complaints.
Nandap also lamented the recent killings of NIS personnel in Borno, Kebbi and Niger States, describing them as officers who “were attacked by unknown persons while serving their country.”
While emphasising that real reform requires shared responsibility, she called on officers and citizens alike to support the Service’s new direction.
“Efficiency is not achieved by policy pronouncements alone,” she said. “It requires personal responsibility at every desk, every command and every border post. The change we seek starts with us.”
