Seme Immigration: Hitch-Free Movement Guaranteed To International Travelers
••Says no compromise on genuine documentation
By Silas Onuoha
Barely one week in office, The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Seme Command boss, Comptroller Mike Chukwuemeka Dike, has guaranteed international travelers using Seme area of hitch-free movement across the border post.
In a chart with the leadership of Maritime Journalist Association Of Nigeria (MAJAN) which visited him in his Seme Command office recently, Compt. Dike said the resolve was in line with the Comptroller General, Alhaji Isa Jere Idris’ three-point agenda, part of which was a hitch-free movement of travelers in and out of the country.
The Immigration boss however, warned that while the Command was determined to make things easy for travelers in the course of doing their business, it would not compromise any act of imperfect documentation.
Comptroller Dike charged travelers to always transact business with Officers of the Command rather than dealing with touts that usually lurked around.
His words.
“I want to assure travelers using Seme border of free movement in and out of the country. Which is why they should be dealing with our well trained officers rather than touts”.
Going further Compt. Dike informed that in terms of movement of people across the border, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) is the lead agency whose personnel are well trained to handle people on transit.
“Our roles at the nations frontiers are key to the inflow or otherwise of foreign direct investment. That is why we are the first to receive visitors on arrival and the last to see them off at departure because if you treat them well, it will encourage them to come again.
“For an investor who is bringing in his money to invest and was poorly treated, would never come again. When such happens, the country loses such investment. Hence our role is critical not just to security but also the economic development of the country”,NIS boss said.
He therefore charged the media,especially MAJAN, to join hands with the service so as to achieve the objectives for which it was set. While pleading for the cooperation of the media, he demanded for journalists understanding and urged them to avail the Command of any information that would aid its job.
