President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday 11th day of October 2022, conferred various categories of national honour awards on 440 Nigerians and seven foreigners. One of these honorees is the Comptroller General of Immigration, Isah Jere Idris, who was conferred with Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR). But this did not come to many as a surprise.
Jere Idris, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) is a man of repute, integrity and credibility. And he has long known to be a man of sterling moral character who has etched his name in gold as an officer of repute, who concerns himself with measures that can improve governance, transparency and accountability of public service delivery of goods and services to the people. He is also a strong and vibrant anti-fraud and corruption crusader. These are some of the reasons why President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him to head the service last year.
He is a professional , a tested administrator and a passionate Nigerian of uncommon leadership qualities. Like the saying, a goldfish has no hiding place. Accordingly, good report about him got to President Muhammadu Buhari, who appointed him last September 2021 in acting capacity with the exit of former Immigration boss Muhammed Babandede. Expectedly, since becoming the CGIS last year, he has worked assiduously with his officers to increase the efficiency of service delivery by the immigration service.
“May I hasten to state that I am not under any illusion whatsoever about the herculean task which lies ahead but I believe that with the usual support of the Federal Government, particularly the Ministry of Interior, the enhanced commitment, cooperation and dedication to duty by all Officers and Men as well as the collaboration of our teeming stakeholders, we shall not only consolidate on existing legacies of the past administration which we all vigorously pursued, but we shall equally strive to fill identified gaps and take the NIS to greater heights”.
CGI Jere said the following words while appearing before the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregebesola in September last year as he took over the headship of the service. And ever since then, he has left no stone unturned in the pursuit of service delivery to the Nigerian people. These include a more efficient passport issuing exercise, efficiency at the country’s borders through improved border security strategies, staff motivation and welfare, capacity building, entrepreneurship training and other related issues.
Within a short time in office, he carved a niche for himself as focus, hard working , visionary anti-corruption officer. Hence he was decorated with new rank as substantive Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in April this year. In addition to his new rank, CGIS Idris Jere also got one year extension of Service by the President on 22nd April, to enable him lead the service to higher heights.
The NIS boss, whose official retirement date was April 24, 2022, having attained the age of 60 as stipulated by civil service rules, will preside over the affairs of the agency for one more year following that development.
In a letter dated April 22, 2022, and addressed to the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, Chief of Staff to President Buhari, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, announced the approval of the extension of Jere’s tenure with immediate effect.
Why is this Kaduna State indigene able to work so seamlessly with staff and stakeholders to the admiration of the general public? His experience and background play a lot of roles in this. Comptroller General Idiris Jere is an alumnus of Bayero University Kano where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communication in 1985. He joined the Service in 1987 as a Deputy Superintendent of Immigration and has served in various Commands and Formations including Adamawa, Borno, and Benue State Commands among others. He was the Deputy Comptroller General in charge of Finance and Accounts until 10th September 2021 when he took over from the former Comptroller General, Muhammad Babandede (rtd) as acting Comptroller General.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the Immigration boss was decorated by the Minister of Interior Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Coomassie urged the CGI to take bold steps in making tough decisions within the next 30 days, which include the overhauling of the entire directorate and same should be extended to other directorates of the service.
Meanwhile since coming to office, CGIS Idris Isah Jere has done much to solve the challenges bedeviling passport policy, overhauling its operations by altering the recent passport reforms and the mode of processing Nigerian passports which many noted had become unruly for the citizens, before the CGIS came into office.
He has taken and implemented measures, actions or decisions that best serve and protect the interest of the country and its citizens. He has also been working to protect Nigerian Immigration service and its staff from the influence and impact of corruption and corrupt conduct. Hence his war to stamp out corruption in the service. His belief is that corrupt conduct in the form of actions, decisions and behaviours are detrimental to the welfare and development of a nation. It brings to the fore serious issues of disrepute, integrity and credibility.
That is why countries around world have implemented measures that would help them best deal with corruption and its consequences. CGI Jere Idris does not want people to import corruption and corrupt conduct into the service under his watch. It explains why the CGI recently ordered a probe into the reports of corruption against some officers of the service at the Murtala Muhhamed International Airport, Lagos.
In Nigeria where public service is perceived to be riddled with widespread corruption and corrupt conduct at all levels of institutions of government and other sectors of the economy. It is struggling to survive every day under the yoke of corruption. To see public officials like CGIS Jere Idris is therefore a thing of joy. One is not therefore surprised by the national honour awarded to him.
Apart from these, CGIS jere Idris has been pressing ahead with service efficiency to ensure the fruition of the blue print he made available when he was appointed last year. At that time, he had disclosed this when he was formally presented to the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola by the Federal Commissioners and Board Secretary of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) in Abuja in September, 2021.
Then he had noted that he is quite aware of the daunting task of securing the nation’s borders as well as offering effective service to Nigerians and migrants. Then, he highlighted some vital components that would form the policy thrust of his administration to include but not limited to:
i. Review of Border Security Strategies by enabling a committee of experts to re-examine the strategies with a view to ascertaining the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the Service’s Border Management Policies and Operations;
ii. Critical assessment of Passport Operations to find lasting solution to the incessant challenge of Passport Booklet scarcity and;
iii. Improve staff welfare through massive capacity building and Entrepreneurship training for Officers and Men as well as prompt action to address pending allowances and other claims of Officers and Men.
Responding then, the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola charged the Acting Comptroller General to effectively secure the Nigerian borders and deepen the Passport application and issuance reform with a view to enabling a seamless process.
This he has been doing as he gradually returns service efficient to the Immigration service. As the Nigerian aphorism advises, “follow who know road.” This maxim must have guided stakeholders to join hands with CGI Idris Jere and his officers to build on the remarkable foundation already put in place to put the service on global reckoning.
No wonder, many were not surprised that national honour came the way of this remarkable man. And many are praising President Buhari as they congratulate the CGIS.
Acting Head of Mission and Country Representative, International Peace Commission of the United Nations, Ambassador Hussaini H. Coomassie, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the conferment of national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) on the Comptroller General of Immigration, Isah Jere Idris.
In a congratulatory message he personally signed, Coomassie, who is also the global vice chairman, Advocacy for Good Governance & Social Justice Network (AGGSJN), said the Immigration boss deserved the national award, having demonstrated core attributes of a professional in his national assignment and for his immeasurable contributions to the growth and development at a revenue generating agency where he is serving as the number one staff.
Also honoured by the President is the Deputy Comptroller General in charge of Visa and Residency, Isiaka Abdulmumuni Haliru, who was also conferred with the award of the Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR).
“On behalf of the International Peace Commission of the United Nations I hereby celebrate with the management, Officers and Men of the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Comptroller General and the other awardees of the Service for the honour bestowed on them and I wish them sound health for more contributions to organisations and nation building at large.”
With his activities within one year in office, CGIS Jere has proved his leadership and administrative mettle. Many have had to concur with the view that the office of the comptroller-General is not a place to learn administration or how to get things done. It should be a place for people who have proven their administrative mettle to solve the state’s more enormous challenges.
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