News
Soon no Nigerian will spend more than 30 seconds for airport formalities – FG
Soon, no Nigerian returning into the country, except persons of interest, will spend more than 30 seconds at the airport, because the process would be fully automated, Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, assured on Monday.
The Minister at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Abuja, to inspect the E-gate project, said the scanners being installed at the international airports across the country would not only eradicate human contacts, but would end the incessant delays hitherto endured by travellers at the airports.
The project being carried out by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), one of the agencies under the ministry, which would cover all international airports across the country is supposed to be a cure to end the unnecessary delay of passengers due to manual scanning used by immigration officers.
He said: “So, I came to inspect the e-gate project that is ongoing and I am happy with the progress of work being done so far; eight e-gates are to be installed at the Abuja airport. But I told them that eight will not be acceptable by me; and that they have to increase it by two to make it 10.
“So far, they have succeeded in installing some and from the assurances given by the contactor, the remaining ones will be delivered before the end of the month, to make it 10 in all. You know the more the e-gate, then the easier it will be for passengers to be cleared and looking at the one that had been tested; I learnt that it is about 30 seconds to clear an individual.
“This I believe is a record time anywhere in the world; and having looked at the solutions and the hard ware, is unarguably one of the best. With what he saw on ground, I have no doubt that when completed Nigerians would no longer be at the mercy of NIS officers, or anybody when they arrive Nigeria.
“This is a fact; because as you can see, it is a matter of putting your passport and it scans it, opens the gate, read your facials, your bio-metrics, it will capture you; and then you leave. You do not need to have an encounter with any Immigration officer.
“But again, unless you a person of interest, I must always put that because this whole purpose is not just for you to be able to pass at record time. No, is not just for that is to also secure the country by so doing.’’
Explaining that for the country to also add another layer to its national security architecture, it should be able to have about two or three licence verifications, he said the facility would enable the appropriate authority to easily flag anybody or a passenger who happened to be a person of interest or on the watch list.
“By the time the project comes to fruition, it will be a new story and will be another milestone in the annals of the country and NIS. The project is not just in Abuja; we are looking at delivering about 16 in Lagos, 8 in the D-WING and 8 in the E-WING. As well as one in the private wing in Lagos to make it 17 in total; about five in kano, four in Enugu and four in Port Harcourt. What I believe is that people must not come through Abuja for them to enjoy the services,” he said.
The minister inspected another ongoing project– Advanced Passengers Information System (APIS), a device which enables NIS officials to access passenger’s bio-data at least two hours before entering into the country, from the NIS headquarters.
Expressing delight with the level of work done so far, which had reached more 70 per cent readiness, he particularly enthused at the assurance he got from the contractors about the early completion of the project, adding the implication was that the NIS would end up as a major contribution to Nigerian border security in real terms.
His words: “My Joy is that the contractor has given me his words that in the next three weeks, it will be 100 per cent ready. So, it means that the E-NIS project, the border control management which is the automation of border control system is on course and Nigerians are about to have new experience.
“And above all, NIS is ready to contribute its quota to the national security architecture as I always say NIS is an integral part of national security. And as a security organisation, the efficiency of the service goes a long way to determine how secured the country will be; that is why it has decided to adopt technology and automated its operations.”
Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor of Oyo State, on Thursday, finally threw his hats into the ring by declaring his intention to run for president in 2027, with a message – history beckons.
The governor, whose ambition has been a matter of speculations for months now and who had teamed up with forces angling to force President Bola Tinubu, out of power, told a teeming crowd in Ibadan on Thursday that time had come to reset Nigeria.
At a mega-rally to announce the alliance between the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the Allied Peoples’ Movement, (APM), Makinde, expressed worry over the dwindling fortunes of Nigerians, vowing to engage Nigerians to end the drift.
Hear him: “Without a multi-party system, there is no democracy. Where is our multi-party? Where do we go from here? We have been pushed to the wall.
“They calculated and self-opposition cannot unite but I am here to say that the opposition is the everyday Nigerian. This is the time for all us to ensure Nigeria works for us. This is the time to confront it fears. It is time to engage as citizens and not spectators.
“For the opposition political parties, this is the time to unite and work in unity and give our nation the much reset it needs. The time to reset Nigeria is now. Ibadan is the city of warriors. The first grand alliance is formed. The PDP and APM is formed. This handshake will allow us to field candidates from presidency to state Assembly. And so, I declare my candidacy for office of the president of Nigeria.”
Eyo Ekpe, a professor of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), on Wednesday, gave a detailed account on how operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) manhandled him on Monday.
He told reporters that he was at sea on why he should fall victim to the assault against his person and eventually arrested given that was not right person directly involved in the information the agency sought.
Some operatives of the EFCC who invaded the hospital, had whisked Ekpe away after firing teargas to scare away the workers, patients and visitors to the hospital, following what appeared like a fracas the ensued over what it claimed was a routine duty in the facility.
Ekpe, Deputy Chairman of the hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee (MAC), described how an operative had first entered his office to make inquiries on why the hospital was yet to give a response to an EFCC inquiry over a medical report linked to a suspect facing trial.
He detailed how he briefed the operative that the said response was being prepared and even went ahead to show him the draft of a letter in that regard, which needed to go through the gamut of official endorsement before being released.
Hear him: “The head of that internal medicine department looked at the report and also discovered that the name of the doctor that signed the report is not a member of staff of that department.
“I had prepared prepared a response to the EFCC on Monday, May 11, 2026, based on the findings. When the EFCC operative visited my office the next morning to collect the document, I told him that the response was ready in draft. I even showed him the draft, but told him that the document still needed approval from the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital before it could be officially signed and released.
“He pretended to have accepted that. He left, but later later returned with another armed operative and informed me that I was under arrest. I asked him why. I was not the one that issued the medical report. My name is not on the medical report. The report was not issued from my unit.
“But he said I would get the answer when I get to their office. I then asked him to at least wait for my staff member who I sent on an errand before joining them. But they refused.
“They started pushing me. They dragged me out of the office. Then I began to cry while they were dragging me. They had warned me not to speak. They had taken my phone. My cry as they were dragging me, attracted the workers to the scene, who enquired what was going on, but because they ordered me not to speak, I couldn’t say anything. They had their guns.
The members of staff of the hospital initially blocked them from taking me away. They then made a call. After that I saw many masked and armed men came violently, broke the protector, threatening the people that were around and people ran away.
“They picked some staff that were still by me. they dragged me and other staff, five of us into their van downstairs. By that time they discovered that the gate of the hospital were locked. So, they drove towards the gate and packed and the commotion continued. We were inside the van.
“I was so emotionally and psychologically traumatised that I couldn’t even look out of the vehicle to see what was happening outside. But I know that teargas and live bullets were shot. That’s all I can say for now.”
Joyce Abdulmalik, of the Federal High Court, Abuja, heard on Wednesday, how Zenith Bank raised alarm over the huge transaction in one of its branches by Abubakar Malami, former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF-MoJ).
The bank said it immediately filed a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) in respect to the transactions, during its appearance in the ongoing trial of Malami, his wife, and son over allegation of massive looting of funds belonging to the Federal Government during his tenure.
Mashelia Bata, a compliance officer with the bank, who appeared as witness in the case, where Malami, et al, are facing a 16-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering to the tune of N8.7 billion, to which they pleaded not guilty, gave the testimony while being questioned on the bank’s roles in the matter.
Details of the testimony conveyed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stated how the compliance officer who was cross-examined by Adebayo Adedeji, lawyer to the defendants admitted that the deposits in the account statements complied with the guidelines of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Arguments had stretched when Adedeji, opposed Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), lawyer to the EFCC, who had asked the witness to explain the meaning of a suspicious transaction report, stressing that there was no ambiguity in the term.
However, Okutepa, in response, maintained that section 215(3) of the Evidence Act did not preclude him from re-examining the witness while urging the court to allow the question for proper explanation.
After Abdulmalik, agreed and overruled Adedeji, the witness told the court that banks were required to alert the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) about fund deposits coming in a repetitive pattern, adding: “Any deposition of funds seen in a pattern or repetitive, you must escalate it to the NFIU.”
-
Columns4 weeks agoAbike Dabiri: Did Obi raise a monster or you’re drunk on Tinubu’s poisoned chalice?
-
News3 weeks agoJandor: Tinubu didn’t endorses Hamzat *I’ve briefed President on my ambition
-
Columns4 weeks agoBe the hero that saved Nigeria! Open letter to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar
-
News2 weeks agoBREAKING: Makinde, Turaki, lose! *S’Court affirms Wike’s PDP leadership
-
Columns4 weeks agoNow VDM has become Sowore’s nemesis, does Peter Obi need anther advocate?
-
Features2 weeks agoJim Nwobodo: The Sun shines, thrills, at ‘The Vanguard Awards’
-
News1 day agoTinubu to African leaders: Copy Nigeria, produce your way out of poverty
-
News3 weeks agoADC: Fight, scatter them! *Presidency goads Kogi lawmaker on Mark’s leadership