Shake-up in Immigration, as new CGI, Paradang, takes over.

 
 

•Vows to rid Nigeria of illegal aliens, passport racketeering
•Acting CGI, five DCGs retired
 
A gale of retirements swept through the Nigeria Immigration Service on Tuesday, as Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, decorated and swore into office a new Comptroller General of Immigration (CGI), David Paradang, in Abuja.
An Assistant Comptroller General, Paradang was elevated to the exalted seat on Monday night by President Goodluck Jonathan who also directed the retirement of five Deputy Comptrollers General, including erstwhile Acting CG, Rilwanu Bala Musa.
The Deputy Comptrollers General eased out include Abubakar Kuso, Suleiman Umar, Freeman Mologe and Denen Akaa, who was in fact, due for terminal leave in August.
The Service has known no peace since the premature retirement of former Comptroller General, Rose Uzoma, early this year.
Decorating the new CG, Moro said the choice of Paradang by the President brings to an end the long search for an effective replacement for Uzoma, adding that the circumstance of the Nigeria Immigration Service and present security challenges make it “imperative for a pragmatic, disciplined, hardworking, committed and thorough bred immigration officer to step in and restructure, reorganise and re-engineer the immigration service.”
While urging the new helmsman to take full charge of the Service and drive it in line with global best practices, the minister insisted that Paradang must carry his colleagues and the entire Immigration Service along as first among equals.
The minister also cautioned against indolence, negligence and corrupt practices that may compromise the integrity of the Service, vowing to sanction any officer whose action negates extant regulations guiding the Immigration Service.
Paradang said the link of both legal and illegal aliens to the insurgency and little arms proliferation in the country was clear indication that something drastic must be done immediately to remove illegal foreign nationals to foster internal security.
“Our task is clearly cut out for us; we know the general concern of  all Nigerians at the moment with regard to security.
“We are going to put in our best effort to ensure that we address them in collaboration with other security agencies, to make sure that our borders are well secured.
“So, we will play our part in ensuring the internal security of the country by making sure that people who do not have documents to be in the country are removed out of this country so that we can have some peace,” Paradang pledged.