Maritime
Immigration seeks joint operations with maritime operators stakeholders for serenity in sector
Immigration seeks joint operations with maritime operators stakeholders for serenity in sector
The Nigeria Immigration Service NIS has sought ways to deepen relation and collaboatatioin with maritime sector stakeholders and operators to address unacceptable violations of the expected serenity of Nigeria’s maritime lines
The Comptroller General of Immigration (CGI), Isah Jere Idris made the call on Thursday when he paid a working visit to the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Yusuf Jamoh at the agency’s headquarters in Lagos.
Jere maintained that the NIS, NIMASA and other stakeholders in the maritime sector need a lot of joint operations to address the worrisome issues bedeviling the sector.
According to him, such collaboration is necessary for the Service to successfully carry out its mandate of migration management and Border control activities within the maritime environment,
Speaking further, the NIS boss also sought partnership with NIMASA on issuance of travel documents to seafarers to ensure harmonisation for ease of control.
His words, “NIMASA, NIS and indeed other critical stakeholders in the maritime sector need a lot of joint operations and collaborations to meaningfully address the worrisome issues of unacceptable violation of the serenity of our maritime lines and its rich natural endowment.
“It is on the note of the above that I considered this visit as very strategic to enable us deepen conversations on how best we can work for a well-regulated and secured maritime territorial integrity.
“To successfully carry out our mandate of migration management and Border control activities within the maritime environment, the Service regularly intensifies collaborations with the following stakeholders: NIMASA, NPA
The Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Nigeria Customs Service
Nigeria Police Force, DSS, NDLEA
Terminal operators, and
Other stakeholders
“To say that our operational engagements with these agencies have been quite enriching is an understatement.
“What we do want to see would be healthier and more rewarding relationships and partnerships among the agencies to allow for a more robust coordinated approach to safeguard our maritime territory for enhanced socio-economic development.
On ties with nimasa.for issuance of travel document, he added, “However, we desire a closer partnership with your agency with respect to the issuance of travel documents to seafarers to ensure harmonization for ease of control.
“Sections 2 and 9 of Immigration Act, 2015 for instance, confer the power to issue travel documents on the NIS. We think that it is important that as government agencies we need to deepen conversations on how to streamline our processes and procedures to ensuring that we do not allow unnecessary duplication or overlap of functions.
“The Ease of Doing Business policy of government would demand that agencies of government consistently endeavour to deploy streamlined and seamless processes and procedures for the comfort of the publics as they access our facilities across our various windows.
“We see enormous strengths in collaborations and synergy rather than working in silos which often tasks resources.”
Responding, the DG said that there had been a cordial relationship between the two agencies but that there was need to reinvigorate it saying that the agency could not operate without the Service.
He lamented the non-inclusion of the service in the Deep Blue Project saying it will be difficult for NIMASA to achieve its mandate without the NIS
He pointed out that the security of the maritime domain requires the inclusion of immigration Service even as he called that both agencies maintain the tempo of their relationship..
