President Bola Tinubu has harped on a common humanity and citizenry, notwithstanding existing political differences. The President made the assertion yesterday at the headquarters of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Abuja, where he inaugurated a “multifaceted” technology innovation centre.

“We hear political cracks here and there, we are one family, living in the same house but staying in different rooms. And it is in our hands to do justice to our children.

“The centre being commissioned today should provide a sustained communication architecture linking relevant agencies with a collaborative technology along a trusted information network. “I am very proud of those who are involved and the leadership that you have demonstrated,” the President said.

In his speech, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi TunjiOjo, noted that the centre will serve the needs of other agencies under the ministry, including information sharing in real time, harmonisation of data, among others. The Minister said: “The Command and Control Centre that we have is not just about the Advanced Passenger Information/Passenger Name Record (API/PNR) system.

“Even our border posts, over 200 points today, real time entry and exit, over 5km in and out, we are watching the borders and getting information to be able to escalate to the armed forces when the need arises. Even our marine and air borders are covered.

“Let me say what we are commissioning today is a very massive complex. It is not just about immigration, because when we came on board, we realised that we were spending money; different agencies wasting billions every year, and we decided that we should create a central point where all of us can feed from.

“We started with an idea of 1.4 petabyte, but what we have today is 8.3 petabyte, one of the largest in the world, meaning that all the agencies in the Ministry of Interior can work together harmoniously and exchange data and at the end of the day be able to respond in record time to any emergency or security threat.

“Also, we decided that for people who, all they aspire to do, is to be able to go to some West African countries to do business, they might not be able to afford the little money for passport and so here we have an ECOWAS ID Card project.

The travel document will be available for people even at the lower rungs of the ladder. “Before Your Excellency came to office we had a visa regime that was discretionary, but now we have an automated service.

You apply online and it goes through several checks, including watch lists and the visa is issued within 48 hours. “Also, we have the Correctional Information Management System. It has already been deployed. We saw what happened during jailbreaks some years ago.

“It was difficult getting the identities and biometrics of the escapees but when we had the flood in Maiduguri, in less than three to four hours we had all information ready and shared with all security agencies and that led to the apprehension of so many of them.”

Meanwhile, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (CG-NIS), Mrs Kemi Nandap, has assured that the critical asset will not only improve border management architecture, but also enhance national security.

She said: “Today, we gather to commission the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex—BATTIC—here at the NIS Headquarters.

“This cutting-edge facility is a true testament to Nigeria’s forward-thinking approach to digital transformation and national security.

BATTIC is more than just a building, it is a leap forward, a bold step in modernising our immigration infrastructure, and a powerful tool in our ongoing efforts to safeguard the nation’s borders, manage migration effectively, and enhance national security.

“This facility has achieved certification with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and integrated with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), further ensuring the integrity and accountability of individuals entering our country.

“Additionally, BATTIC is a multi-faceted complex, comprising several critical components. These include: The Command-and-Control Centre for Regular Migration, NIS Data Centre and Visa Approval Centre, Interior Data Centre, Passport Personalisation Centre, ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card (ENBIC) Centre and 0.5KW Solar Farm.”

Nandap added that with BATTIC, we are setting a new benchmark in the use of technology to protect our borders and enhance national security. At the heart of BATTIC’s mission is its ability to manage and analyse varying levels of data efficiently.

“Advanced Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) Analysis: This enables us to assess the risk levels of passengers even before they arrive in Nigeria or depart from their country of origin,” she noted.

On his part, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), stated: “This initiative had been mooted many years ago in the past government but there was constant friction between both ministries as to who should be in charge.”