Japan grants Nigeria $910,000 to secure land borders

The Japanese government has approved a grant of $910,000 to enable Nigeria to secure her borders and undertake ancillary immigration activities.

The donation, announced through the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), was captured in Japan’s 2015 supplementary budget.

Owing to prevailing security challenges from terrorists and international organised crime groups engaging in smuggling and trafficking, the IOM noted that it was in partnership the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to ensure the land borders were better managed to encourage legitimate travels.

The financial support, it was learnt, is to allow for seamless continuation of IOM’s support to the NIS in the area of strengthening land border management in the country.

IOM’s Chief of Mission in Nigeria, Enira Krdzalic who dropped the hint yesterday in Abuja said: “IOM has been steadfast in supporting the activities of NIS in border management and control through innovative and result-based strategy.

“IOM, through this funding, will expand current interventions on Migrants Information and Data Analysis System (MIDAS) in four Border Crossing Points (BCPs) installations to other land border crossing points not previously covered, thereby contributing to reducing the incidence of irregular migration in and from Nigeria. Through this support, additional four land BCPs will be equipped with MIDAS, bringing the total coverage of the viable major land BCPs to nine,” she stated.

The project is geared at facilitating the key outcome of strengthened inspection and control of cross-border movement, through checking of persons against national and international watch lists and better identification and registration of non-nationals in the country.

The move also aims at countering terrorism and other transnational crimes by enhancing land border control in Nigeria through strategic installations on the borders and the project is to be implemented over a period of 12 months, commencing from March 1, 2016 to February 28, 2017.