The Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Kemi Nandap with Management team
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.
She said that the workshop was aimed at eliminating corruption, improve service delivery, and restore NIS dignity.
Nandap urged officers to rise to the challenge and catalyse a new era of excellence.
Nandap noted the NIS’ core values to include integrity, discipline, professionalism, customer service, patriotism, excellence, confidentiality, and teamwork, as the foundation for the service’s operations.
“These values are the foundation upon which our service is built, and this campaign intends to reiterate and promote them.
“We must recognise that our role is not just to enforce laws but to serve as ambassadors of Nigeria. Our conduct must reflect these values.
“I pledge to lead by example, and I expect the same commitment from each of you. Together, we can mitigate corruption, improve our service delivery, and restore the dignity of our service.
“Let us rise to this challenge, and may our collective efforts be the catalyst for a new era of excellence in the Nigerian Immigration Service,”she said.
Nandap acknowledged that recent events had tarnished the service’s reputation and emphasised the need for collective responsibility to restore honour and uphold trust.
She described corruption as a “hydra-headed monster” requiring collective effort to defeat, urging officers to identify and root out corrupt elements, promote accountability, transparency, and zero tolerance for corruption.
“We gather today at a critical juncture in our service’s history, where the fabric of our integrity is threatened by the actions of a few.
“Recent events have cast a dark shadow on our reputation, and it is imperative that we take collective responsibility to restore our honour and uphold the trust placed in us.
“The footage of some officers soliciting gratification, taking bribes, and even being intoxicated while on duty is a stark reminder of the menace of corruption that threatens to consume us.
” These actions not only betray the trust of the public but also undermine our very purpose as guardians of our nation’s borders and protectors of its citizens.
“We must acknowledge that corruption is a hydra-headed monster that can only be defeated through a collective effort.
“It is our responsibility to identify and root out the corrupt elements within our ranks, and to create a culture of accountability, transparency, and zero tolerance for corruption,”
Speaking, the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) Dr Musa Aliyu stressed the importance of identifying and eradicating corruption hotspots.
Aliyu, who was represented by a Deputy Director, ICPC, Mr Clement Obaniyi recommended harnessing technology to achieve the set goals and objective.
“I want to encourage the Comptroller-General to extend the training program to state levels so that they will understand that the era of corruption and misconduct is over.
“She should ensure a widespread understanding that a new era of transparency and accountability had commenced, leaving no tolerance for corrupt practices,”he said.