FG To Clampdown On Irregular Migrants

The Federal Government is to begin a clampdown on irregular migrants in the country from August 1.

The Minister of Interior Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo announced this at a meeting with the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, NECA, in Abuja.

According to the Minister, the Federal government has given a grace period of three months from May 1 when the new Expatriate Administration System EAS will take place, to August 1st when it will begin enforcement.

“And we said from the first of May we will create like an Immigration amnesty program for regularisation of due processes for three months, ie May to June, June to July and of course July to August. So by 1st of August, there will be strict clampdown on irregular Immigrants and we hope that people will take advantage of the three months period to be able to regularize and subject themselves to establish Immigration protocols “.

” We hope that will be done and that’s to take effect from the 1st of May all the way to the 1st of August. So I think this is more or less the summary of what we agreed”.

Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo also warned that the Federal Government will no longer tolerate a situation where some companies obstruct the Nigeria Immigration Service NIS from carrying out its legitimate duties.

” I think we also agreed that the era when companies, some companies, some very few companies behave irresponsibly by distorting, blocking, blockading and as a matter of fact avoiding themselves being subjected to Immigration laws will no longer be tolerated. We all agree with the private sector by Virtue of the law, Immigration Service has a right to do their job and they must perform their mandates.”

” So we have said we will be very hard on any company that avoids or prevents the Nigeria Immigration Service from carrying out its legal responsibility, we will not tolerate that, we will not tolerate that going forward “.

The Minister said that the present administration would use the instrumentality of the law to secure the country and improve the socio-economic development of the nation .

Nkiru Njemanze, Edited By Blessing Nyor