The Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has described the newly built Command and Control Centre of the Nigeria Immigration Service as a project of pride to the nation.

Mr Tunji-Ojo made this known on Wednesday while inspecting the new facility alongside the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, and the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap, at the service headquarters, in Sauka, Abuja.

“Today, I feel so proud to be a Nigerian. That the solution was deployed by a local company even makes one happier. What it means is that Nigerians can solve Nigeria’s problems. For me, this shows what we can achieve when we come together as a people. Seventeen years of waiting has come to an end.

He said, “This is not a victory for the Ministry of Interior, but a victory for Nigeria.’’

The interior minister said that the Public Private Partnership drive of the Renewed Hope administration of President Bola Tinubu was yielding results.

Mr Tunji-Ojo commended the service and the NEWWORKS, the firm handling the project, stressing that the NIS had no excuse but to deliver on its mandate.

Also speaking, Mr Keyamo lauded the ministry of interior for the good work done so far.

He said that the that NIS had demonstrated readiness to operate in tandem with global best practices in Border Security and Migration Management

Earlier, Mrs Nandap, who welcomed the two ministers, underscored the key role the project would play in facilitating seamless border governance.

This, she said included the fight against trans-border crimes which included Smuggling of Migrants and Traffic in Persons.

She stated, “The project will also help to reduce passenger processing time at all ports of entry as well as intelligence and data sharing collaboration amongst security agencies towards national security.”

The CG identified Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record as an important component of the integrated border management strategy the administration was committed to achieve.

(NAN)