The Enugu State Command of the Nigerian Immigration Service started a sensitisation and awareness campaign on Wednesday to combat corruption and promote transparency within the service.
Led by the Comptroller, Angelina Sambo, the campaign, tagged “Mitigating Corruption and Improving Service Delivery in the Nigerian Immigration Service,” aims to educate citizens and passport applicants on the importance of respecting the process and shunning corrupt practices.
This initiative is part of the NIS’s zero-tolerance policy for corruption under the leadership of Comptroller General, Kemi Nandap.
The state comptroller emphasized that the exercise follows the initial inauguration at the service’s headquarters and is being replicated across various state commands nationwide.
“The exercise is geared towards ensuring that we are in line with the renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for a business-friendly environment for Nigerians and expatriates. I want to reaffirm our commitment to a corruption-free Nigerian Immigration Service. As the Comptroller of NIS Enugu State Command, I, and my officers are dedicated to mitigating corruption in all forms,” Sambo stated.
Shortly after the campaign at the airport, officials from the Enugu zonal office of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, who were on a solidarity visit to the Enugu NIS office, enlightened passport applicants on the need to shun corruption.
In a presentation, Chief Superintendent of the ICPC in charge of the zone, Denham Aida, told applicants that in corruption offences, both the giver and receiver are culprits and liable to punishment if apprehended.
He advised them to always report any Immigration officer who demands gratification to help them acquire international passports, insisting that such acts remain serious offences capable of resulting in dismissal if established.
Reacting to the sensitisation campaign, a retired Comptroller of NIS in Ogun State, Dr. Anike Nweze, applauded the incumbent CGIS and State Comptrollers, particularly that of Enugu, for the renewed war against corruption in the NIS, describing the gesture as a right step in the right direction.
The event was attended by officers from other sister security agencies in the state.