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The federal government has integrated more than 15 million migration records into the Border Control and Immigration Management System, (BCIMS), as part of efforts to strengthen border security and tackle identity fraud and transnational crimes.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, revealed this at the closing ceremony of a specialised training programme on border control and immigration management for 87 officers of the Service held the NIS headquarters Friday in Abuja.
Tunji-Ojo said the reforms were aimed at ending fragmented databases across government agencies and ensuring that information used by the Immigration Service was consistent with records held by other relevant institutions.
He said Nigeria could no longer rely on analogue processes to manage migration in a country with a population of more than 200 million.
“You cannot deal with 200 million people in an analogue environment. It is not doable,” the minister said.
He explained that the Ministry of Interior had introduced the Centralised Interior Management and Administration System, CMAS, to facilitate data integration among agencies under its supervision, including the Immigration Service, correctional services and the Federal Fire Service.
According to him, harmonising government databases would improve identity verification, strengthen the monitoring of foreigners residing in Nigeria and close security gaps caused by inconsistent records.
“There is no data we need in Nigeria that is not somewhere in Nigeria. That is the truth. Harmonisation of data, strategic handshake of data-generating and processing agencies, is the only way to have a single point of truth,” he said.
The minister said the government had also developed a 10-year roadmap for technological advancement and established a data centre with a capacity exceeding eight petabytes, alongside an off-grid solar power facility to support the data command and control centre.
He said the reforms were intended to position Nigeria to develop indigenous expertise in immigration and border management, adding that technology vendors must transfer knowledge to Nigerian personnel rather than make government agencies dependent on external contractors.
Tunji-Ojo said the government was committed to building institutions that could sustain the reforms beyond the tenure of individual officeholders.
Earlier, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nanna Nandap, said the integration of the Border Control and Immigration Management System with the Migration Information and Data Analysis System, MIDAS, had enabled the service to consolidate more than 15 million migration records.
“At the heart of the Border Control and Immigration Management System is the BCIMS and through the integration with MIDAS, which was the system we had initially, BCIMS has now been able to hold over 15 million migration records.”
Nandap charged the 87 officers who completed the specialised training to ensure that the technology was deployed accurately, lawfully and responsibly.
She warned that technology could support operational decisions but must not replace professional judgement or due process.
“An alert is not a verdict. A risk indicator calls for careful, proportionate examination. It never replaces evidence, professional judgement or respect for the rights of the travellers standing in front of it,” she said.
The Comptroller-General identified accuracy, integrity, judgement, readiness and accountability as five non-negotiable standards for officers using the system.
She warned against unauthorised access to records, sharing of login credentials and the misuse of the platform to facilitate illegal passage, stressing that any abuse would be investigated and sanctioned.
Nandap also directed supervisors to ensure that officers were properly deployed, equipment remained functional and operational reports were submitted as required.
She said the success of the programme would be measured by improvements in the accuracy of migration records, the consistency of border checks, the timely escalation of alerts and the lawful treatment of travellers.
The Comptroller-General said the reforms were part of efforts to strengthen inter-agency cooperation and move the service from fragmented operations to coordinated, technology-driven border management.
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