The Nigeria Immigration Service ( NIS) says that its success in the past 60 years have outweighed its challenges.

Mr Kayode Afolabi, the Comptroller of NIS, Ondo State Command, stated this in Akure during celebration of 60th anniversary of the service by the command.

Afolabi said that a feat recorded by the NIS should not be taken for granted.

He said that the service over the years had grown in leaps and bounds, excelling in its constitutional responsibility guaranteed by the act of parliament,Nigeria Immigration Act, 2015 as amended.

“We are gathered here today to celebrate Nigeria Immigration Service, its achievements and contributions towards maintaining the security of lives and properties of our people over the years.

“In the area of passport reforms which is one of the core mandates of the Service, over the years the Service has been able to improve the passport production and issuance process inculcating technology to make our passports compliant with global best practices.

“Gone are the era when we issued Machine Readable Passports (MRP), now we issue enhanced e-passports with features consistent with what is obtainable globally.

“Indeed it has been eventful 60 years full of successes and challenges, we are bold to say that the successes of the past 60 years far outweighs the challenges,” he stated.

According to him, in the area of service delivery from 2016 to October 2022, it is on record that NIS has been rated the top performing agency in Nigeria across all reform areas on ease of doing business.

Afolabi said that the service had been contributed immensely to industrialization drive of the Federal Government by issuing permit to foreign expatriates.

He said that the service personnel through its personnel manned entry points to the country, ensuring that criminal elements were hindered in entering the country.

In his goodwill message, the state Commandant of the Nigeria Civil Defence and Security Corps ( NSCDC), Mr Olayinka Olatundun, said that the NIS had been doing a great human job.

Olatundun, who expressed his joy over development of technology employed by the service, asked all personnel of the service to contribute their quota for betterment of the service.

The theme of the 60th anniversary is : “ Enhancing Seamless and Regular Migration.”