Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has called on the Nigerian Immigration Service and other federal agencies to review their recruitment policies to reflect fairness, justice, and equity in line with the principles of federalism.
Governor Diri made this appeal on Monday when the Assistant Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Zone G, Mrs Abolupe Oladoyin Bewaji, paid a courtesy visit to the Government House in Yenagoa. The Governor, who was represented by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, expressed concern that the current federal recruitment structure does not favour Bayelsa State due to its smaller number of local government areas.
He pointed out that recruitment into federal agencies is often based on the number of local government areas in each state, which places Bayelsa at a disadvantage because it has only eight local government areas, the fewest in the country.
According to him, “We are being short-changed because most of the time recruitment at the federal level is done based on the number of local government areas in the states. So if you are giving ten employment slots to each local government, there are states that will get more than 400 or 300 slots, while Bayelsa will have only 80 because it has only eight local government areas. So where is the fairness?”
Describing the policy as unjust and undemocratic, Governor Diri emphasized that Bayelsa, as one of the nation’s foremost oil and gas producing states, deserves fairer consideration in employment allocations. He urged the federal government to urgently address the imbalance to ensure the state has a sense of belonging in national employment exercises.
He also called on the Nigerian Immigration Service to establish a passport printing centre in Bayelsa to save residents from the stress and cost of traveling to other states for passport processing.
The Governor said, “We want you to urgently address the issue of printing passports outside our state. We want the production of passports to be done here to reduce the manhour and other costs. Bayelsa should not continue to be left out in the national system of passport issuance.”
Governor Diri commended the Minister of Interior and the Comptroller General of Immigration for the ongoing innovations and reforms being implemented in the service, particularly in the issuance of visas, passports, and diplomatic reciprocity.
He said, “First of all, I like to commend the Minister of Interior as well as the Comptroller General of Immigration for the innovations and reforms which we are now seeing, especially in the area of issuing of visas and passports and diplomatic reciprocity.”
The Governor, however, noted the need for more attention to be given to the country’s waterways, which he said serve as alternative entry routes into Nigeria.
“Clearly, we can see that you are doing fairly well on the land. But I think you need to do much more on the waterways because a lot of people are also coming into the country through the waterways,” he added.
Governor Diri reaffirmed his administration’s willingness to support the Immigration Service in ensuring effective service delivery within the state. “As a state, we are willing and ready to collaborate with you to carry out effective services in the state. We will be happy to support you provide the marine unit of immigration,” he stated.
He also appealed for a concessionary arrangement in future recruitment exercises by federal agencies to accommodate the peculiar situation of Bayelsa State. “That is why I’m appealing for some kind of concession. Bayelsa should be given additional slots whenever you carry out your recruitment exercises,” the Governor stressed.
Earlier in her remarks, the Assistant Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Zone G Headquarters, Mrs Abolupe Oladoyin Bewaji, said her visit was aimed at exploring areas of collaboration with the Bayelsa State Government that would be mutually beneficial.
She described Bayelsa as a vital contributor to Nigeria’s economy that deserves special attention from the Immigration Service. “Bayelsa State is a significant contributor to the economy of Nigeria that deserves special attention. The Immigration Service will continue to maintain professionalism and patriotism in our partnership with the state,” she said.
Mrs Bewaji commended the Bayelsa State Government for its continuous support to security agencies and identified border security, community engagement, and the smooth issuance of passports and visas as key areas for collaboration between the NIS and the state.
She was accompanied on the visit by senior officers from Zone G, including the Bayelsa State Comptroller of Immigration, Mr Festus Atteh. Zone G of the Nigerian Immigration Service covers Bayelsa, Edo, Delta, Enugu, and Anambra States.
