Enhancing border security

RECENTLY, as part of efforts to address the porosity of Nigeria’s borders, the Federal Government deployed an e-border solution in 40 percent of the country’s borders. Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who disclosed this at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, during a media parley, said the move was part of efforts to improve the security of lives and property of those living in Nigeria. According to him, the technological innovation would go a long way in helping the country to adequately monitor its borders. Saying that a secure border ensures a safe nation, the minister added that newly acquired vehicles had been deployed to improve border management. He said: “Immigration (Nigeria Immigration Service) is beyond a travel document issuing agency. We sat down and we took a decision that the issue of migration management and border control must be at the core of what NIS should be doing. I’m happy to tell you that the first phase of our e-border solution has been completed as we speak. I want to tell you that the first phase is 100 percent completed and covers 40 percent of the design of the e-border solution across the country. We hope that the second phase will start this year. As we speak, anybody that has travelled into Abuja in the last one or two months will tell you that it’s no longer business as usual. If you are in Nigeria, the e-gate is up and running in Abuja, fully integrated and installed in Lagos.”

The minister also said Nigeria had also adopted Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Records (PNR) to streamline traveller identification management and facilitate border management, adding that with the commissioning of the command and control, technology and innovation centre at the NIS headquarters, “there is real-time monitoring of our land border and all entry ports of all airports, everything.” Lamenting that Nigeria issues visas abroad unlike in the developed world where visa approval is usually done in the home office of the home country, Tunji-Ojo said the Federal Government had decided to unify the visa regime processes with a Visa Approval Centre in Abuja where all visa applications would be approved.

Since its rollout, the e-border surveillance system is reported to have played crucial roles in curbing illegal migration, a notorious border security challenge. Employing cutting-edge automation and monitoring tools, the facility is said to enable real-time surveillance across Nigeria’s extensive 4,447 kilometers of land, air, and sea borders. The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), which operates the system, said it had deployed advanced e-border solutions to over 80 crossing points nationwide, adding that it integrates data from INTERPOL and other security agencies, allowing seamless identification and interception of persons of interest. A Technology Innovation Complex, which serves as the command and control centre for the e-border system, is the hub of this technological transformation. Said the minister: “This system is a critical tool in our fight against irregular migration. By integrating advanced technology and international intelligence data, we are not only identifying threats but also preventing them from escalating. One of the most remarkable outcomes of the e-border system is its role in identifying and capturing persons of interest. Within just a few weeks of operation, the system, particularly at the e-gates installed in five international airports, successfully flagged and detained individuals with criminal records or suspicious activities.”

Without effective policing of the borders, fiscal policy will continue to fail. That is why everything necessary must be done to combat smuggling and the dumping of products in Nigeria. In this regard, the automation of border security is no doubt a positive development. The creativity, vision and resilience of the Minister of Interior must be applauded. As many Nigerians are no doubt aware, electronic surveillance and e-tools such as cameras, sensors, satellite phones and mobile networks, drones, geographic information systems (GIS), automated identification systems and data analytics play invaluable roles in border security. They enhance the government’s ability to monitor, detect, and prevent illegal activities. It is a no-brainer that by providing real-time monitoring of border areas,  electronic surveillance enables timely response to potential threats. It fosters enhanced intelligence gathering, reduces the risk of undetected crossings and enhances the efficiency of border patrol. This is apart from reducing the wait time at entry points and deterring individuals from crossing the borders illegally. We endorse the move by the Federal Government. Technological innovations will no doubt help in securing Nigeria’s borders.

For long, we have pointed to the linkage between the porous borders and the insecurity in the land and it is refreshing that the Ministry of Interior is taking positive, proactive and efficient steps to keep Nigeria’s borders safe and hence reduce the onslaught of terrorists and criminals of different hues on the country’s territorial integrity. However, we call on the government to complement its latest initiative with the erection of border walls. As we said in previous editorials, the building of border walls to control the entry and exit of goods and persons is practised globally as governments seek to protect the health of citizens and the economy. Building the walls, we argued, would not violate the ECOWAS protocol, as there would be gates for easy entry and exit for legal trade in goods and services and free movement of persons. The walls will help in enforcing government’s fiscal policy and put an end to illegal and criminal activities. Apart from securing the borders, they will lead to the generation of revenue that would be far higher than the cost of their construction. The time to act is now.

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