Insecurity: Ogun immigration seeks cooperation with hoteliers, guest house owners

THE Nigeria Immigration Service, Ogun State Command, has called on owners of hotels and guest house to partner it in safeguarding the sovereignty and security of the country.

This charge made by the Command’s Comptroller, Ajibola Bayeroju, during an interactive session with members of the Nigeria Hoteliers Association in the state, on the theme: “Impact of hotel inspections, rendition of daily returns and guest manifest due to security challenges of our time,” held at the Command conference room, Abeokuta, on Thursday.

Bayeroju noted that hoteliers and guest house owners had in the past informed on the essence of filing Expatriate Quota daily returns, submitting that accurate documentation of guests, especially foreigners would further enhanced the security system of the country.

The comptroller added that the any hotelier who failed to notify the immigration service with adequate information on arrival and lodgement of a foreigner would be decisively dealt with.

He appealed to the business operators not to push the Command in adopting “enforcement approach” based on the level of compliance by the operators.

The immigration boss explained that the NIS had the mandate through the Immigration Act of 1963, 2015 (as amended) to monitor, investigate, arrest or demand certain relevant document from a hotel owner or a foreigner.

He said further that owners of hotels should demand for a copy of passport data page and a copy of all endorsed pages from any foreigner who intend to stay for more than 24-hours.

“We expect maximum cooperation from all stakeholders to ensure that the Nigeria Immigration Service is successful in its responsibilities towards safeguarding the sovereignty and security of our country, Nigeria.

“We are required to do our best jointly to keep this nation free from terrorism, espionage and other global security related problems. Thus, we should make conscious effort to rid our country of external vices and threat that can affect the peace of our nation.

“Hence, the need for us to jointly ensure a secure environment where the security of the nation would be uttermost and your business would flourish,” he added.