THE Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Isah Jere Idris, has reiterated that no effort shall be spared to combat all forms of sharp practices across Commands and Formations in the service.
Idris stated this at the induction ceremony of newly-nominated personnel into the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) of the Service in Abuja.
The induction came amid allegations of passport racketeering and touting among other abuses against the Service.
Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Arẹgbẹsọla, recently queried an immigration officer, when he paid a surprise visit to the Alausa Passport Office of the Nigerian Immigration Service in Lagos.
Arẹgbẹsọla had advised Nigerians to follow due process in their passport application and shun patronising touts who will end up disrupting the standardised procedure.
Speaking at the event, Idris lamented that corruption remains one of the main plagues threatening the growth and survival of the country.
He said: “I need not overemphasise the fact that corruption remains one of the main plagues threatening the growth and survival of our country. It has continued to take its toil on virtually all areas of our national endeavours. In some instances, corrupt practices are becoming part of the acceptable societal norms. This is dangerous and must be resisted by all persons of goodwill.”
The Comptroller-General who commended the efforts of the leadership of Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for the relationship and collaboration between the two agencies, also called for its sustenance.
Earlier, the Chairman of ICPC, Professor Bolaji Owasoneye, represented by Mr. Abbia Udofia, commended the Service for the move to constitute a strong Anti-Corruption Unit to join in the fight against corrupt and poor service delivery practices.
Owasanoye, who enjoined the nominees to understand the responsibilities imposed on them by becoming members of ACTU, therefore called on them to remain exemplary, firm and focussed in the discharge of their duties.
Administration of the oath of allegiance was carried out on the 11 officers nominated by the Service as members of ACTU by Abodurin Adebimpe, an Assistant Chief Superintendent of ICPC.
With the inauguration and induction, members of the unit had been statutorily empowered to monitor, investigate and report all forms of corrupt practices noticed anywhere across the service windows for necessary actions.
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