A year ago when Kemi Nandap stepped into office as Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), she inherited an institution at a crossroads. Passports were scarce, border security was porous, and migration management felt like an untamed river, surging unpredictably. But in just twelve months, she has done more than steer the ship. She has rebuilt it mid-voyage, reinforcing its structure with technology, strengthening its foundation with reforms, and sharpening its focus with a clear vision. At Nigeria’s vast borders, where security has often been a cat-and-mouse game between traffickers and smugglers versus immigration officers, the changes are undeniable. Border officers now have better equipment, modernized patrol vehicles, and a stronger sense of purpose. The launch of the Electronic Border (e-Border) solution project has given them a powerful new tool—real-time surveillance that tracks movements, identifies vulnerabilities, and tightens control over who enters and leaves the country. Smugglers and traffickers who once exploited blind spots now find themselves under an unblinking digital gaze. The newly installed electronic gates (E-gates) at international airports have already proven their worth, flagging at least 14 individuals of international security interest in November 2024, effectively unmasking people who, in years past, might have walked in and out unnoticed.
Again, as of Sunday, 26th January, 2025, the API/PNR (Advanced Passenger Information/Passenger Name Record) deployed under Nandap’s watch has recorded 97 cases of persons of interest. Security isn’t just about technology, though. It’s about intelligence, about knowing where to look before trouble even starts. Nandap has strengthened the NIS’s network of border community informants, transforming whispers into warnings and leads into action. That vigilance led to the arrest of 84 irregular migrants in Osun State in November 2024, who were mostly young men, under the age of 20, from Congo Brazzaville, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, engaged in cyber-related crimes. Over 500 others have been tracked down at their various hideouts in Rivers, Oyo and Ogun states after then. The world of migration management is no longer just about physical borders; the threats have gone digital, and under her leadership, the NIS is adapting.
Passports, for many Nigerians, had long been a source of frustration. A document that felt more like a privilege than a right. Applicants endured endless delays, unpredictable shortages, and a tedious process that seemed to stretch indefinitely. That changed when Nandap’s administration keyed into the renewed hope agenda of the forward-thinking President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, under the supervision of the Minister of Interior, Hon(Dr.) Olubunmi Tunji-0jo and cleared over 200,000 backlogged applications in just two weeks. No more uncertainty, no more ‘no booklets available’ notices. Today, the Nigeria Immigration service has adequate stock to meet demand, and the rollout of the Enhanced e-Passport at Nigeria’s foreign missions, along with a new contactless application system, has brought long-overdue convenience to Nigerians abroad. She has also decentralized the Change of Data (COD) application process, making it accessible at all passport offices nationwide. The Nigerian passport now stands on firmer ground globally, with its registration under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Public Key Directory (PKD), and the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), enhancing its credibility and security.
Beyond processing documents and guarding borders, the NIS, under Nandap’s leadership, has embraced its role as an educator. In schools, markets, NYSC camps, and passport centers, officers now engage directly with the public, warning about the dangers of irregular migration. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Nigeria’s visa policies have been revised to reflect current realities, and partnerships with global migration bodies like ECOWAS, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), ICMPD, and FIAPP have been strengthened to ensure a more coordinated approach to migration management. Nowhere is the modernization of the service more tangible than at the newly commissioned Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex (BATTIC). This state-of-the-art facility is not just a building but the nerve center of the NIS’s digital transformation. It houses the Command and Control Center, the NIS Data Center, the ECOWAS Biometric Card Production Center, the Visa Application Center, and several other cutting-edge units designed to improve efficiency, response time, and national security.
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Yet, institutions do not transform on technology alone. The heart of any organization is its staff, and here, too, Nandap has left her mark. More than 14,000 officers and men were promoted in 2024, a move unprecedented in the history of the service. Long-standing backlogs of allowances were cleared, lifting morale and restoring faith in the system. The NIS is now partnering with the Federal Housing Authority to provide affordable housing options for officers, with plans underway for a housing loan scheme and a health insurance plan for personnel and their families.
Nandap’s efforts in Human Capital Development have been robust, with training programs across the service institutes and various institutions, including but not limited to the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), the National Defence College (NDC), and the Institute of Security Studies (ISS). She launched the Modernization of the Nigeria Immigration Service (MoNIS) Project, to drive career progression and gender mainstreaming. These initiatives have helped to build the capacity of our personnel and improved NIS service delivery. Her training programs have focused on building the skills and competencies of personnel in areas such as border management, migration management, and passport administration. She has also implemented a mentoring program to pair experienced officers with junior ones.
With 2025 still fresh, the focus is clear: more digitization, more efficiency, and a consolidation of the gains already made. A year may not seem like much in the grand sweep of history, but in leadership, it is enough to turn tides. Kemi Nandap’s first twelve months have been about foundations—laying down structures, tightening security, and restoring faith in an institution that had long struggled against inefficiencies. The expectations are higher now, the stakes greater. But if the past year is any indication, Nigeria’s borders, its citizens, and its future are in capable hands.
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Fagbemigun is an Abuja-based multimedia journalist.
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