The Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Oludaisi Elemide, has challenged the management of the Nigerian Immigration Service in the state to discharge their responsibilities with a high level of professionalism, through the promotion of due diligence and integrity to achieve a prosperous Nigeria.
Elemide threw the challenge while playing host to the leadership of the Immigration Service in the state, led by the State Comptroller, Olufunke Odusote, at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, on the need to address the allegation of maltreatment of residents of border communities, especially those of Egun descent, when applying for the Nigerian passport.
The Speaker, who lauded the speedy and transparent process of issuance of the passport, encouraged the federal officials to remain committed, faithful, and disciplined to achieve a strong and corruption-free nation.
He stressed the need for the Immigration Service to devise a veritable means of distinguishing the Egun of Nigerian descent from their foreign counterparts to prevent granting the nation’s passport to foreigners.
Earlier, in their contributions, the Deputy Speaker, Bolanle Ajayi, as well as Honourables Oluseun Adesanya, Babatunde Tella, and Wahab Haruna, commented on the manner in which some of the officials often handled immigration matters at the border communities, which often put some Nigerians at a disadvantage.
Earlier in her remarks, the Comptroller of Immigration in the state, Olufunke Odusote, acknowledged what she described as the unique security challenge the state had due to its location as a gateway state; this, she noted, was giving rise to illegal migration from Ghana and Cameroon.
She disclosed that about 103 illegal migrants, most from the two countries, were arrested recently; some of whom were child traffickers, alongside some minors being hauled into child labour.
The Immigration Comptroller called for legislative collaboration and public sensitization to stem the practice, stating that the service had continued to adopt inter-agency collaboration to prevent the crime in high-prone local government areas in the state.
Ogun speaker challenges immigration service on due diligence
