Minister tasks interior management staff on citizenship integrity

THE Minister of Interior, Chief  Rauf Aregbesola, has called on top management staff of the Ministry of Interior and its paramilitary agencies to ensure the promotion of citizenship integrity in line with the mandate of the ministry.

The minister made the call while declaring open a strategic retreat for management staff and top functionaries of its paramilitary agencies in Osun State.

According to him, a thorough analysis of an aspect of the ministry’s mandate that deals with promotion of citizenship integrity would widen and deepen the understanding of staff  in relation to their responsibility to the citizens and foreign nationals resident in the country thereby enabling them to provide efficient services as required.

“Promoting citizenship integrity has bearing on efficiency, high ethical and moral conduct, responsiveness, commitment, patriotism, compliance with rules and regulations and proactiveness in the discharge of our duties,” the minister said.

Director, Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Interior, Mr Mohammed Manga, who confirmed this to Nigerian Tribune in Abuja, quoted Aregbeola as saying that promoting citizenship integrity also means treating them with dignity and guaranteeing their safety and security.

The minister said further that the demand of enhancing citizenship integrity cuts across the duties of all staff in the ministry and agencies, and must be treated with all seriousness.

Aregbesola further noted that citizenship has been described as a relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection, adding that the sanctity of this relationship between the two parties is its integrity.

He said integrity requires citizens to obey the laws of the land, pay tax, be loyal and, if need be, stand up for the nation’s defence.

On a global spectrum, he said countries that respect, enhance and promote the integrity and dignity of their citizens have the most loyal and proud citizens and are the leading nations of the world.

He listed some of the remarkable achievements and efforts of the interior ministry to include, online application and processing of business permit, expatriate quota positions and citizenship related facilities.

Others are: the Enactment of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act,2019; the deployment of technology in border control and immigration management including Migration Information and Data Analysis System (MIDAS) in some airports, land and sea borders.

He said the ministry has also established Agro-Rangers Unit and protection of critical national assets as well as acquisition of modern firefighting equipment and establishment of additional fire stations across the nation.

He said: “Mr. President had during the ministers’ designate retreat stressed that ministers would be responsible for the development and implementation of policies, programmes and projects of their various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in line with government priorities.

“This position was further communicated to MDAs by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation who highlighted nine main priority areas of the present administration, a critical component of which is the provision of security for all citizens.

“To enable MDAs deliver on the priorities, a list of identified projects and deliverables were forwarded which had been circulated to all agencies and departments for action.

“As you all are aware, ministers are expected to report on progress in implementation to the Federal Executive Council periodically,” he said.

Earlier in her welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Barr. Georgina Ehuriah, said that the retreat was aimed at securing the alignment of the roles of the ministry and its agencies towards achieving the President Muhammadu Buhari’s mandate on internal security.

She said the management of the ministry and its paramilitary agencies would continue to provide the necessary support required towards achieving all the deliverables assigned to the minister and the ministry by the President Buhari Administration towards ensuring a reversal of the current security challenges in the country, so as to provide a safe haven for investors, thus attracting Direct Foreign Investment in the country.