NIS, wins most reformed minded agency award

The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council(PEBEC) at the Banquet Hall of State House Presidential Villa conferred on the service nNigeria Immigration Service the prestigious award of “The Most Reform Minded Agency” 2020.2.The service under the able leadership of Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service Muhammad Babandede MFR has undertaken various Reforms that has encouraged ease of doing business through the Visa regime, most recently on the 4th February 2020, the President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR presented the Nigeria Visa Policy 2020 to the public at the State House Presidential Villa à product of Visa Reform that has transformed the countries Visa regime in the Diplomatic Circle and practice, also the Biometric e-visa for international travelers to Nigeria. 3.The service NIS also embarked in 2015 in document and process reform for all official documents and ways of rendering services to the general public culminating in the Review of the Immigration Act of 1963 birthing the Immigration Act 2015,Immigration Regulation 2017, Nigeria Immigration Service National Border Management 2019-2023,Immigration Manual 2019 for laws, Regulations, and processes of issuance of facilities across the NIS service widows. 4.In line with Reforms embarked upon within 3years the passport document and process was reviewed resulting in the production of the 10 year validity enhanced passport with over 25 security features in line with ICAO standard for travel documents of the category passport à standard used in rating the standard of passport globally, also the refugee passport called Convention Passport and other categories of passports. 5.The Nigeria Immigration Service National Border Management Strategy 2019 – 2023 is the driver document for the Border Management Strategy emplaced to strengthen secured and safe border, part of which is the deployment of the Border Control tool known as Migration Information Data Analysis System (MIDAS) deployed to major Entry points, and four(4) International Airports in the country. 6. Also the Human Resource Management, Planning Research and Statistics Directorates were upgraded with facilities that enable informations on staff nominal roll, disposition, postings, distribution, management and administration, salariés and all émoluments to be e-based to streamline the Management and administration processes in the Nigeria Immigration Service 7.Migration reform came on the 15th July 2019 when the president Muhammadu Buhari GCFR Commissioned the Migrant e-registration exercise to register all non-Nigerians residing in Nigeria and the Six(6)Months presidential Amnesty to pave way for those on Irregular status to get documented and also process relevant documents that will ensure their regular stay lawfully in the country, this major reform is the basis for Visa on Arrival at the point of Entry for Holders of AU passport and other qualified under the policy enshrined in the Presidential declaration of Visa on Arrival for Africans, this leadership role aimed at Integration and Unification of Africans for freedom of movement within Africa of Africans, this process was carefully designed taking cognizance of National Security of the country. DCI SUNDAY JAMES PCC, SERVICE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER, FOR :COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF IMMIGRATION SERVICE. 11th March, 2020.