The move by the Federal Government to electronically register
illegal migrants in the country has come under criticism, with some
observers describing it as a backdoor to unleash an “army of occupation”
on Nigerians.
President Muhammadu Buhari hinted of the
e-registration last Friday when he declared: “It is on this note
therefore, that I am declaring a six-month amnesty period for illegal
migrants already in the country to submit themselves to the Nigerian
Immigration Service (NIS) for the purpose of this registration.”
Represented
by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha, the
president explained: “The registration will be carried out without any
payment or penalties. I’m enjoining all migrants staying in Nigeria
whether regularly or otherwise, to take advantage of the amnesty window
to register with the NIS.”
But a former presidential adviser, Echefuna ’Rotimi Onyebeadi faulted the premise of the planned registration.
In
a July 13, 2019 letter seen by The Guardian and titled “From Ruga To
E-Registration Of Immigrants: What Next?’ the professor of Engineering
Economics and Strategic Management, accused the Buhari government of
trying to “confer unsolicited and unlawful citizenship on illegal
immigrants.”
He writes: “The outcry of Nigerians on the attempt
by Buhari’s government to forcefully acquire native lands for these
alien Fulani herdsmen through the ‘suspended’ RUGA is yet to die down
and, now, just a few days after, as though in a relay race, this
unlawful conferment of citizenship on illegal immigrants by the
government through the backdoor has been brought up.
“Why is this
government hell-bent on populating the already pauperised and over-
populated country with alien Fulani wanderers? Why does Buhari want to
confer citizenship through the backdoor on aliens under whatever guise,
to the detriment of Nigerian citizens? Are these not the same people the
Buhari government is creating RUGA for?”
The don argues further:
“There are existing laws guiding naturalisation of foreigners which,
again, this government is trying to jettison as usual with impunity and
reckless abandon with the introduction of this obnoxious e-registration
of illegal immigrants to the unsuspecting public.
“Documenting
illegal immigrants should necessarily lead to returning them to where
they came from. But, no, the Buhari government is determined to
implement a certain unconstitutional hidden agenda that is gradually
unfolding everyday by his government’s actions, inactions and responses,
which are averse to the well being of the country.”
Meanwhile,
statements by the presidency and the NIS on the initiative appeared to
have conflicted. Buhari had declared that the six-month amnesty period
is “for illegal migrants already in the country.” But asked to react to
the allegation that the scheme hosts a hidden agenda, Sunday James, NIS
spokesman and a Deputy Comptroller of Immigration (DCI), told The
Guardian: “It is not illegal migrants; it is irregular migrants across
the country we are registering. What we are doing now is to register
every non-Nigerian.”
He added: “People are trying to misconstrue
this directive by Mr. President. People should stop giving ethnic
colouration to good plans by government. It is good for Nigeria. At
least, it would help in our security situation, governance and
planning.”
Earlier, Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on
Media and Publicity to President Buhari, had, to a similar inquiry,
replied via SMS: “Please, ask the immigration or interior ministry. I
have not been briefed on this.”
Reacting to the development,
Isuwa Dogo, the publicity secretary of the Middle Belt Forum, said the
e-registration could compound sadness in the country by bolstering the
alleged criminal activities of some illegal immigrants.
Citing
last week’s murder of Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, the daughter of Afenifere
chieftain, Pa Rueben Fasoranti, allegedly by herdsmen, Dogo warned: “If
anybody thinks he or she is defending any particular ethnic group in the
face of serious security challenges we are going through, the north
would be the first region the illegal immigrants would wipe off before
any damage is done to the southern part.”
Yinka Odumakin, the
spokesman of Afenifere, a Yoruba socio-cultural group, said: “The
registration of migrants will not force the government to enforce the
law against criminal herdsmen/terrorists, which the government is not
doing at the moment. The exercise cannot make the government to stop
acting as the media office of Miyetti Allah. There is no level of
registration that will make Nigeria a safe place if the government is
not run to protect all citizens as against special interests.”
In
another reaction, Chief Ralph Nwosu, the national chairman of African
Democratic Congress, noted: “We do not expect the ruling party and
Buhari to use presidential fiat to grant illegal immigrants citizenship
of this country just because of their selfish, parochial and political
agenda. This programme is definitely going to have dire consequences in
the future. Nigeria is still struggling to address the issue of its
diversity, yet someone is talking of adding more illegal immigrants? I
doubt if it will be of any advantage to us.”
But a legal luminary
and a former national secretary of the Labour Party, Kayode Ajulo, said
he has no issues with the idea; his grouse is how, in the first place,
immigration officers allowed illegal immigrants to penetrate Nigeria
unchecked through northern borders.
“It appears there is a type
of conspiracy against Nigeria when it comes to the influx of illegal
immigrants. For instance, go to most of the borders in the southern
parts of Nigeria, they are properly manned by customs and immigration
officers,” he said.
Also, a chieftain of the ruling party, who
did not want to be named, said: “It is an internal security mechanism,
to capture the identity of illegal immigrants. There is nothing special
about it.”
In a related development, the NIS in Cross River State
has warned its personnel not to collude with foreigners to undermine
national security.
Responding to questions on allegations of
irregularities at the NIS office in Calabar, Comptroller James Okey
Ezugwu said: “This registration is free. I am making it very clear that
it is free. Nobody takes a kobo from anybody because he wants to be
registered. If an immigration officer or anybody, for that matter, ask
any foreigner to pay for any service in the cause of this registration,
report to my office, and we will deal with the person.”