Proposed e-border project not jettisoned – NIS

The e-border project entails the use of surveillance cameras and other security equipment to monitor and track movement of people in and out of the country.

Babandede told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday that the service was exploring a “holistic approach’’ to the challenges of policing the borders.

He said that the Service was currently studying other proposals from some notable security/ICT firms that would properly suite the Nigerian terrain.

He said that the e-border project model that would eventually be adopted would be cost effective, sustainable and effective in the Nigerian terrain.

“The e-border project has not been jettisoned but I am currently studying other proposals from other companies with a view to getting the best for the country,’’ he said.

The comptroller-general said the Service had also commenced training of border personnel and rehabilitating their residential quarters as captured in the 2016 budget.

He said the Service was planning to get some high tech make-shift accommodation for some of the personnel in remote areas of the borders.

He said he had directed that the Service personnel be periodically posted out of their border posts to allow for effective service delivery.

NAN recalls that Huawei Technologies Nigeria Ltd. had in March made a presentation of its security solution tagged “Huawei Safe City Solution” to the NIS with a test-run project at the Illela border in Sokoto State.

The company, which had already installed facilities at the Illela border post and the NIS headquarters, demonstrated how the security gadgets worked.

The Solution Manager of the company, Jerry Tang Jian, told NAN that the challenges facing the NIS including porous borders, blind spots, ineffective communication and delayed decision making could be addressed with the e-border technology.

“We have so many solutions even for training and maintenance of our facilities here in Nigeria once the project is approved,’’ Jian said. (NAN)