The Federal Government has warned foreign nationals living in Nigeria to register with the Nigerian Immigration Service within six months or risk becoming an illegal immigrant.
President Muhammadu Buhari gave the directive at the inauguration of the migrant e-registration and passport application processing centre at the NIS headquarters, Abuja, on Friday.
Represented at the event by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, the President explained that the e-registration would aid internal monitoring and integration while enhancing national security.
The President said, “It is on this note that I am declaring a six-month amnesty period for irregular migrants already in the country to submit themselves to the Nigeria Immigration Service for the purpose of this registration which will be carried out without any payment or penalties.”
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In line with the government’s commitment to the Local Content Act, the President noted that he had directed that the production of passport booklets should be done in Nigeria to build capacity of indigenous firms and enable seamless service delivery.
Speaking during the event, the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Muhammad Babandede, explained that that the migrant registration, like the passport, “will be linked with national identity eco-system to generate a unique number that will eventually connect to all identity system in Nigeria.”
“We are actualising the dream of this administration of one man, one identity,” he stated.