The Federal Government has obtained the proclamation of the regulations for the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.
The government said the development would now enable the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to obtain passengers’ data and other vital information ahead of their visit to the country and screen them accordingly.
Minister of Interior Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo stated this at a meeting with the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery.
He said: “Nigeria has struggled with this project since 2003. I am happy to inform you that we have it now. Obviously this will help in further securing our borders.
“With the recent development, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) now has the capacity to screen people objectively as the solution developed is linked with the Interpol 24/7 which enables them to know and query the database of travellers.
“Before people come into Nigeria now, we have the opportunity of knowing who they are, querying their database and of course the solution developed is linked with Interpol 24/7, so we have the capacity to screen people objectively.”
The minister added that all e-gates installed at all international airports in the country are of UK standards, noting that the projects demonstrated the level of collaboration and faith that Nigeria has in the border control capability of United Kingdom.
“The e-gate screens in 24 seconds. This is the fastest that was seen. We are doing a lot in border control, we will still do more. We are building a solar band of 1 Mega Watt to be able to power all critical infrastructure of the NIS. We believe that by doing this, people will begin to have faith in Nigeria,” he added.
Tunji-Ojo, in a statement signed by the Director of Press in the ministry, Ozoya Imohimi, also alluded to the ongoing reforms in the Federal Fire Service, saying the government has invested massively in the Fire Academy in Abuja to achieve world class standard.