The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) says the on-going migrant e-registration exercise is a continuous process.
NIS Comptroller-General, Mr Muhammad Babandede, said this in a statement by the Service Public Relations Officer, Mr Sunday James, in Abuja on Thursday.
Babandede said that the registration was part of the Service’s statutory responsibilities prescribed by the Immigration Regulation 2017.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Muhammadu Buhari had on July 12 inaugurated the Migrant e-Registration and Data Processing Centres at NIS Headquarters in Abuja.
According to the comptroller-general, the service embarked on the exercise as part of its day to day scheduled duties in line with Section 22 (1 and 2) of the Immigration Regulation 2017.
“It empowers the service to maintain a register of all “Immigrants” and also empowers the Comptroller-General to keep in the registry, information and particulars of an Immigrant as he may from time to time direct.”
He said that the clarification became necessary against the misconception between the amnesty period declared by the President and the duration of the exercise.
Babandede noted that the registration exercise had captured 2,100 migrants at the NIS Headquarters alone.
“While registration centres at Lagos, Rivers, Delta, Ogun, Ekiti, Kwara, Cross River, and others are steadily following in a bid to achieve a nation-wide registration exercise.
“We hereby call on all migrants staying beyond 90 days in Nigeria, whether regular or otherwise (including those without proper documents) to take advantage of the 6-months amnesty period given by the President.
“The amnesty period lasts between July 12 and Jan. 11, 2020. Migrants should register at the nearest Migrant e-Registration centres in their places of residence.”