The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) is the government agency that has been charged with the responsibility of migration management in Nigeria.
Over the years, the NIS has witnessed series of changes since it was extracted from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in 1958. The Immigration Department, as it was known then, was entrusted with the core immigration duties under the headship of the Chief Federal Immigration Officer (CFIO) and the first to sit on that chair was in the person of Mr. EH Harrison. The department in its emergent stages inherited the Immigration Ordinance of 1958 for its operation. At inception, the department had a narrow operational scope and maintained a low profile and simple approach in attaining the desired goals and objectives of government. During this period, only the Visa and Business Sections were set up.
However, on August 1st, 1963, Immigration Department came of age when it was formally established by an Act of Parliament, Cap I71, Laws of the Federation Nigeria. The head of the department became known as the Director of Immigration. Thus, the first set of Immigration officers were former NPF Officers. It became a department under the control and supervision of the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs (FMIA) as a Civil Service outfit.
Following some structural reforms and Government white paper on October 1st, 1992, the designation of “Director of Immigration” was changed to “Comptroller General of Immigration Service”, thereby granting the Service a para-military status.. Thus the last Director of Immigration became the first Comptroller General of Immigration (CGI) in the person of CGI Garba Abbas.
The Nigeria Immigration Service is responsible according to the act establishing it for:
- The control of persons entering or leaving Nigeria
- The issuance of travel documents, to bona fide Nigerians in and outside Nigeria
- The issuance of residence permits to foreigners in Nigeria
- Border surveillance and patrol
- Enforcement of laws and regulations with which we have been directly charged.
Vision: To be a modern, effective and efficient Immigration Service, manned by well trained and motivated workforce.
Mission: To strengthen the security and prosperity of Nigeria through proactive, effective and efficient border security and migration management. For more info, visit www.immigration.gov.ng
