…As NCS elevates 74 officers at Lagos Airport Command***
Germany is fine tuning a new process that will facilitate the smooth repatriation of over 30,000 illegal Nigerian migrants back to the country.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama stated this while receiving the Security Adviser to the President of Germany, Dr Jan Hecker, and his team in Abuja.
The new proposal, according to Onyeama, is predicated on perceived failures and slow pace of the current system of repatriation, which he noted, involved both the participation of Nigerian embassies and consulate; and the German immigration office.
“They don’t have enough faith and confidence in the process that we have at the moment for the repatriation process.
“Some of the delays they believed are with the mission and consulate in Germany.
“They want to propose a completely new process of repatriation, known as Return and Re-admission,” Onyeama said, explaing that in the last two years, only about 200 Nigerians had returned to the country out of about 30,000.
“Germans were not happy that the system we have in place at the moment is certainly not working to their satisfaction,” he said, adding that the new process essentially entails that once all legal processes have been exhausted, Nigeria should trust them (Germany), to make right decision on whom should be repatriated.
He added that once the decision was taken, Germany would bring the affected persons to Nigeria without the involvement of Nigeria’s mission in Germany.
“They will bring them here to Nigeria and say we have gone through a process in Germany; these people are your nationals, they have exhausted all the legal processes, please take them.
“And it will be here on Nigeria territory that any possibility will then exist to say maybe that one is not or this one is not.
Onyeama, while describing the proposed process as a complete transformation of the current process, noted that Germany aside from issuing travel documents to those to be repatriated, would also be responsible for their travels.
However, for the new process to come into being, Nigeria would have to agree and carry out some changes in her laws.
Earlier, Jan Hecker said he was in Nigeria to see how both countries could intensify their bilateral relations and achieve good result, particularly on migration.
He was accompanied on the visit by the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Bernhard Schlagheck and other officials.
In the meantime, the Customs Comptroller, Lagos Airport Command, Mrs Jayne Shoboiki indicated on Tuesday that 74 officers of the Nigeria Customs Service attached to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, have been promoted to new ranks.
She indicated this during the decoration of the promoted officers with their new ranks by Shoboiki.
Shoboiki commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, retired Col. Hameed Ali, for ensuring that the promotions were based on merit which she noted would motivate the officers, noting that a total of 1,997 officers were promoted within the service nationwide, with 74 officers from the command.
“So we are really blessed. Promotion comes with a higher responsibility. I implore you to take this promotion as a step in the right direction and put in your best and know that there is a reward for hard work.”
Shoboiki advised them to remain dedicated to their duties, stressing that promotion could only come from the Almighty God.
Responding on behalf of the officers, Mr Adebola Adegbite, who was elevated from Assistant Comptroller to Deputy Comptroller of Customs, thanked the authorities for the confidence reposed in them.
He told his colleagues to redouble their efforts to ensure the shoring up the revenue of the command to meet its set target.
Of the 74 promoted officers, one officer was promoted to the position of Comptroller, four to Deputy Comptroller, three to the post of Assistant Comptroller and 16 to Chief Superintendent of Customs.
The command also recorded 14 Superintendents, 18 Deputy Superintendents and 18 Assistant Superintendent II.
