FG gives 6-month amnesty for illegal migrants to register with NIS
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, declared a six-month amnesty to migrants who had stayed in Nigeria beyond 90 days without resident permits.
He said that the period would enable the migrants to register with the Nigeria Immigration Service to avoid having challenges with immigration laws.
The President made the declaration at the inauguration of the Migrant E-registration and Data Processing Centres at NIS Headquarters in Abuja. He said that the period would enable the migrants to register with the Nigeria Immigration Service to avoid having challenges with immigration laws.
Represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, Buhari said that the E-registration was significant to the country’s drive for robust internal security and national development.
He said “It is on this note therefore, that I am declaring a six-month amnesty period for illegal migrants already in the country to submit themselves to the Nigerian Immigration Service for the purpose of this registration. The registration will be carried out without any payment or penalties.
“I’m enjoining all migrants staying in Nigeria whether regularly or otherwise, to take advantage of the amnesty window to register with the Nigeria Immigration Service.
“I also urge Nigerians to embrace the new passport reforms and I task the Nigerian Immigration Service to replicate the passport application processing centres nationwide so as to enhance transparency and elimination of corruption in the system.”
He stated that the event reflected government’s deliberate commitment to harnessing accurate data of citizens and statistics of migrants, especially those who wished to stay beyond 90 days in Nigeria.
“While the migrant e-registration centre will collate and store data of non-Nigerians within our shores, the passport application processing centre on the other hand, will provide improved issuance of passports.
“It will also eliminate touting as well as corruption in line with government’s policies on Ease-of-Doing Business, thus promoting transparency and efficiency in service delivery.”
The President also pointed out that the migrant e- registration would flag-off the e-registration of all migrants in Nigeria to aid internal monitoring and integration, and assured government’s commitment to promoting fundamental rights of migrants.
“However, we have the responsibility to know who lives among us and what they do. This administration has approved the comprehensive passport reform aimed at enhancing the country’s identity-management, among other things.
“Accordingly, in line with our administration’s commitment to local content act, I have directed that the production of passport be domesticated in Nigeria to build capacity of indigenous firms that enable seamless service delivery. This must be done with care so that the process is not interrupted,” Buhari said.
