AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHALLENGES OF NIGERIA IMMIGRATION SERVICE IN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT FOR EFFECTIVE DOCUMENTATION: THE WAYS FORWARD

Abstract

The porosity of Nigeria’s border coupled with manpower deficiency that can appropriately address the effective control of people at the border, has proved exigent for officers and by extension affects information management for proper documentation of immigrants. Thus, this paper mainly explored the ways forward on the challenges faced by immigration officers in information management for effective documentation at the border. Specifically, it identified the challenges, implications of the challenges and the measures to confront the obstacles for effective documentation of immigrants. Data were gathered from secondary sources which include articles in journals, conference papers, report of the Nigeria Immigration Service on National Migration Data Management Strategy and other internet materials. The data were presented and analysed. The paper revealed among other findings that the immigration officers at the Nigeria’s border have been confronted with the challenges of infrastructural facilities, inadequate sophisticated gadgets and diversity of document formats among others. This undermined the effective documentation of immigrants. Based on the findings, it is recommended among others on the need by the government to provide modern infrastructural facilities, adequate sophisticated gadgets, improved welfare and regular training and re-training of the immigration officers to enhancing effective documentation of immigrants. The paper concluded that achieving national security requires efforts to ensuring effective border security through robust information management for seamless documentation. Therefore, information management for effective documentation is a very sacrosanct measure and prerequisite for national security.