Nigeria-Netherlands migration cooperation has received a fresh boost as both governments pledged to deepen their partnership in migration management, border operations and the fight against human smuggling.
According to Vanguard, the commitment followed the donation of training and operational equipment to the Hostmanship Unit of the Nigeria Immigration Service by the Netherlands’ Repatriation and Departure Service under its Ministry of Justice and Security.
The Hostmanship programme trains immigration officers to engage travellers and members of the public with empathy, professionalism, hospitality and respect. Nigerian authorities developed the initiative with support from their Dutch partners to improve service delivery at borders and immigration facilities.
Equipment donated to Immigration Service
The equipment presented during a ceremony in Abuja included a 24 KVA solar inverter system, a 20-kilowatt backup lithium battery, two 75-inch smart televisions, a projector and screen, and an outdoor wireless internet router.
The donation also covered solar standing fans, window blinds, an integrated sound system, wireless microphones, an HP laptop, a whiteboard and other items needed for training activities.
Comptroller General of Immigration Kemi Nandap said the support represented more than the provision of office equipment. She described it as an investment in the professionalism and institutional development of the service.
According to her, the items reflected the shared commitment of both countries to building an organisation where courtesy, empathy and excellence shape every interaction with the public.
Nandap said the Hostmanship Unit had made significant progress despite being established recently. She noted that structured training programmes and the Nigeria Immigration Service Guest Engagement Guidelines had helped promote a guest-centred culture among officers.
She added that the donated equipment would strengthen training delivery, improve efficiency and help the unit perform its responsibilities more effectively.
NIS praises long-standing Dutch support
Nandap thanked the Government of the Netherlands, particularly its Repatriation and Departure Service, for its sustained assistance to the immigration service.
She said the relationship had developed beyond technical support into a partnership built on trust, shared learning and a common desire to improve migration management.
The comptroller general assured the Dutch delegation that the service would use and maintain the equipment properly.
“Let this equipment serve not merely as a resource, but as a reminder of our responsibility to ensure that every traveller and every member of the public experiences professionalism, dignity and respect whenever they engage with the Nigeria Immigration Service,” she said.
Netherlands pledges continued cooperation
The Charge d’Affaires at the Netherlands Embassy in Abuja, Ronnald Sonnemans, praised the level of cooperation between both countries.
He said he had witnessed the positive changes the Hostmanship training produced among immigration officers over the years.
Sonnemans reaffirmed the Netherlands’ commitment to supporting Nigeria in migration management. He added that the continuation of the mobile team project would further professionalise border operations.
Jan-Willem Keuninck, a senior adviser in the Netherlands, said both services had maintained an intensive working relationship for 25 years.
He said the partnership had included annual working visits, capacity-building programmes and the signing of a memorandum of understanding on migration.
Keuninck disclosed that some Nigerian immigration officers had received certification as Hostmanship trainers in the Netherlands.
He also announced that a specialised programme for senior NIS officials would begin in the Netherlands in September.
Hostmanship Unit promises improved service
NIS Hostmanship Coordinator Samson Thomas described the equipment handover as a demonstration of trust and friendship between Nigeria and the Netherlands.
Thomas noted that the unit did not exist slightly over a year ago but had since helped establish Hostmanship as an important value within the service.
He pledged that the unit would build on the support to make professionalism, hospitality and respect permanent features of immigration service delivery.
The renewed Nigeria-Netherlands migration cooperation is expected to strengthen border management, improve officers’ engagement with travellers and support efforts against irregular migration and human smuggling.
