The Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Muhammad Babandede, has said officers and men of the service were no longer begging for money at the country’s airports as a result of recent training exercises by the Netherlands.
Babandede disclosed this when he received a delegation of the government of the Netherlands – led by its Minister of Migration, Ministry of Justice and Security, Mrs Ankie Broekers-Knol, in his office in Abuja.
“We are proud of our relationship with the Netherlands for many good reasons. They have changed the way we do things in Nigeria. Now, the way we receive passengers at the airports is influenced by the Netherlands.
“Before now, people [Immigration personnel] demand for money, they were hostile and unapproachable but all that is in the past now after the housemanship training,” he said.
The Immigration CG, who said the NIS had been in partnership with the Netherlands for over 25 years, noted that the housemanship training exercise for officers of the service had improved their service delivery.
He stressed that the improvement in service delivery had, in turn, improved the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria with the country moving up 24 places in global ranking recently.
While speaking, Mrs Ankie Broekers-Knol commended the NIS for cooperating with the Netherlands in returning irregular Nigeria migrants to Nigeria.
Broekers-Knol, who assured that her country will continue to help the NIS to build the capacity of its personnel, disclosed that the 6th batch of the housemanship training programme for personnel of the NIS will begin soon.
