Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, has assured Nigerians coming back from abroad that they will soon have a pleasant experience at the airports with the launch of e-gate.
E-gate is a digital gate that works like a scanner and has all the advanced features needed to scan passengers who enter the country through the airports quickly and easily without the usual delay.
The minister gave this assurance on Monday when he visited the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to inspect the ongoing installation of an e-gate by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
He said that the project would put an end to the unnecessary delays that passengers face when they enter the country due to manual scanning by immigration officers.
Tunji-Ojo reminded Nigerians that the Federal Government had promised them that they would have a smooth passage at the airports through e-gate, unlike before.
“I came to see the progress of the e-gate project, and I am satisfied with the work done so far. Eight e-gates are to be installed at the Abuja airport.
“But I told them that eight is not enough for me and that they have to add two more to make it 10.
“They have already installed some, and the contractor assured me that the rest will be ready before the end of the month, to make it 10 in total.”
The minister said that the more e-gates there are, the faster the passengers will be cleared.
“You see, the more e-gate, the easier it is for passengers to pass. I saw that it takes only 30 seconds to clear one person.
“This is a world record, and the solutions and the hardware are clearly the best.”
Tunji-Ojo said that he was confident that, when the project is completed, Nigerians will not have to depend on NIS officers or anyone else when they arrive in Nigeria.
“This is true, because, as you can see, you just need to put your passport, and it scans it, opens the gate, reads your face, your biometrics; it captures you; and then you go.
“You do not have to meet any immigration officer.
“But of course, unless you are a person of interest, I have to say that because this is not only for you to pass in record time.
“No, it is also for the security of the country.”
The minister also said that the country should have two or three licence verifications to enhance its national security architecture.
This, he said, would help the authorities to easily identify anyone or any passenger who is a person of interest or on the watch list.
He said that the project would also support NIS officers and help them to do their jobs effectively.
“When the project is done, it will be a new story and a new achievement for the country and NIS.
“The project is not only in Abuja; we are also planning to install about 16 in Lagos, 8 in the D-WING, and 8 in the E-WING.
“And one in the private wing in Lagos to make it 17 in total; about five in Kano, four in Enugu, and four in Port Harcourt.”
Tunji-Ojo said that he believed that people should not have to come through Abuja to enjoy the services.
