Nigeria’s borders are open to foreign investors – Babandede

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) says it is promoting the policy of selective migration that opens the country’s borders to genuine investors across the world.

The NIS Comptroller-General, CGI Muhammad Babandede, said this on Friday in Uyo while fielding questions from newsmen during the Executive Leadership Retreat for senior management staff of the service.

The Comptroller-General explained that the selective migration policy allowed for entrance of people with capacity to add value to the country.

Babandele added that Nigeria ran a liberal policy on its borders, permitting network of multinational companies, people of high intellectual prowess and positive religious values into the country.

“We are not closing our borders to visitors, the country is looking for people that can add values not liability,” Babandele said.

He said that the two-day leadership retreat with the theme “Leadership Implementation for Reformed Agenda,” was meant to train line managers on proper conduct and work ethics.

“We want to empower our officers through training to make them efficient and proactive.

“We had developed a 4-year strategic plan, we need to act and not just talk. Training will solve some of our challenges,” Babandede said.

He however acknowledged that the immigration service needed a lot of resources to enhance its service delivery, facilitation and security functions.

Speaking on the benefits of the retreat, an Assistant Comptroller-General of Immigration in charge of Zone G in Benin, ACGI Chizoba Dibi, said that the experience was very rewarding.

Dibi , one of the 25 participants at the retreat, said that the training would enhance the performance of top management of the service.

“This retreat is exciting, it is real leadership retreat and it is going to impact positively on our performances,” Dibi said.

In her speech, the facilitator of the retreat, Mrs Delia Omatsola, said that the training was aimed at developing core competences in top management of NIS.

Omatsola, Head of Training, Peculiar People Management Consult, said that the retreat was targeted at increased productivity, leadership effectiveness and efficient workforce in the service.

Our correspondent reports that some of the courses at the retreat include: Leadership for Service, Transformational Leadership for Professional Excellence and Leadership Strategies for Success.

Others are Corporate Governance Progression Matrices, Leading with Emotional Intelligence and Strategic Thinking for Reformed Agenda.