By Ibironke Ariyo
The Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nandap has pledged to lead the fight against corruption and restore the service’s dignity, amid recent allegations of misconduct by some officers.
Nandap made the pledge during the opening of a two-day sensitisation workshop on Building a Value Culture in the NIS on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said the workshop was aimed at rooting out corruption, improving service delivery and restoring dignity to the NIS.
Nandap urged the officers to rise to the challenge and catalyse a new era of excellence.
Nandap stressed that the core values of NIS include integrity, discipline, professionalism, customer service, patriotism, excellence, confidentiality and teamwork, as the foundation of the service’s operations.
“These values are the foundation on which our service is built and this campaign seeks to reiterate and promote them.
“We must recognize that our role is not only to enforce the laws but also to serve as ambassadors of Nigeria. Our behavior must reflect these values.
“I am committed to leading by example and I expect the same commitment from each and every one of you. Together, we can mitigate corruption, improve our service delivery and restore the dignity of our service.
“Let us accept this challenge and see our collective efforts as the catalyst for a new era of excellence in the Nigerian Immigration Service,” he said.
Nandap acknowledged that recent events had tarnished the reputation of the service and stressed the need for collective responsibility to restore honour and maintain trust.
He described corruption as a “hydra-headed monster” that requires collective effort to defeat, and urged officials to identify and root out corrupt elements, promote accountability, transparency and zero tolerance for corruption.
“We meet today at a critical juncture in the history of our service, when the fabric of our integrity is threatened by the actions of a few.
“Recent events have cast a shadow over our reputation and it is imperative that we take collective responsibility to restore our honour and maintain the trust reposed in us.
“The images of some police officers demanding bonuses, accepting bribes and even getting drunk while on duty are a stark reminder of the menace of corruption that threatens to consume us.
“These actions not only betray public trust but also undermine our mission as guardians of our nation’s borders and protectors of its citizens.
“We must recognise that corruption is a multi-headed monster that can only be defeated through collective effort.
“It is our responsibility to identify and root out corrupt elements in our ranks and create a culture of accountability, transparency and zero tolerance for corruption.”
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Aliyu, stressed the importance of identifying and rooting out pockets of corruption.
Aliyu, represented by the Deputy Director of ICPC, Mr Clement Obaniyi, recommended the use of technology to achieve the stated objectives.
“I wish to encourage the Auditor General to extend the training programme to the state levels so that they understand that the era of corruption and malpractice is over.
“You have to make sure that the public understands that a new era of transparency and accountability has begun, with no tolerance for corrupt practices,” he said.
