The Minister of Interior, Mr Abdulrahman Dambazau, on Thursday in Abuja inaugurated a Presidential committee charged with enhancing security at the nation’s borders.
The 11-member inter-ministerial committee has Dambazau as Chairman and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior as Secretary.
Other members are the Minister of State for Aviation; Director General, Department of State Services (DSS), and the Comptrollers General of Customs and Immigration.
Others are Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA); Director General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and the Managing Director, Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA).
The Director General, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and a representative each from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBED) are also in the committee.
The panel, which has a period of eight weeks to submit its report, is to be guided by five terms of reference.
They are assessment of the present deployment of personnel from relevant agencies working at the country’s airports, seaports and land borders to trim down their sizes in line with global best practices.
The committee is expected to identify the “most vital agencies/desks needed for efficient operations and their appropriate locations within the ports’’.
It is also charged with recommending measures to promote ease of doing business at the country’s ports without compromising national security.
The assignment includes sensitisation of all personnel working at the ports and the public on the country’s policy on ease of doing business especially at the ports and borders in line with international standards.
Addressing members, Dambazau said the move was in line with the Executive Order 001 recently signed by the Federal Government to promote transparency and efficiency in the business environment.
“While developing strategies for the successful operational of Executive Order 001, it became apparent that security operations at Nigeria’s air, sea and land ports must be improved. This informed the formation of this committee.
“The government’s desire to accelerate national development through diversification of the economy will be realised through transparency and efficiency in the business environment.
“Our country loses a lot of investments due to inefficiencies and duplications in our administrative systems.
“To this end, the committee’s assignment is to assist in improving the security services at the nation’s ports to, among other things, facilitate the implementation of Executive Order 001,’’ the minister said.
(Source: NAN)