The Bayelsa State command of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has confirmed that its State headquarters along the Bayelsa Palm Area in Yenagoa, the State capital, has been submerged by flood and 64 of its personnel displaced by the development.
The State Comptroller NIS, Sunday James, who confirmed the development while conducting journalists round the office headquarters, however, said the Command was prepared and all necessary documents are safe and office operations not disturbed as they have relocated to the Okaka area for smooth operations of the command.
Comptroller James also pointed out that the 64 impacted personnel of the Command have been taken care of by the Command, saying that the national headquarters of NIS has agreed to assist in embarking on the infrastructural upgrade of the office headquarters in the state.
He said though the Bayelsa flood is a natural occurrence, which is expected to open a new chapter for the people and state, “Inspite of the flood, no personnel of the NIS stayed away from his or her duty post. All through the flood, every officer of the command was on ground as essential duty workers.”
Meanwhile, the Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Isa Jere Idris, has directed the Comptroller of Immigration Service, Bayelsa State, James Sunday, to visit the IDP Camp and donate drinking water to the Internally Displaced Persons for them to have clean drinking water.
The directive was carried out on Tuesday at Ox-Bow Lake IDP Camp where thousands of IDP families were camped by the Bayelsa State Government for temporary shelter after the flood had rendered several families homeless.
According to the NIS, the gesture from the Comptroller General was a sign of goodwill from the Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service to the officers and men of the Bayelsa Command and also directed that the affected 64 personnel of the service taken into consideration.
A team of experts are to visit Bayelsa Command from the service headquarters in Abuja to assess the state of the command’s office to enable the Comptroller General take an informed decision after reporting back.
The State Comptroller, who expressed appreciation to the leadership of the Service for directing at an appropriate time evacuation of all service movable assets and sensitive documents before the flood came into the command, said the action has saved the Service from loss of assets and sensitive documents, that are not recoverable if they were trapped.
He also warned officers and men to avoid any attempt to be away from duty on AWOL or otherwise which may lead to summary disciplinary action or dismissal as work continues and supervisors will be held responsible for any staff absent during headcount scheduled for Friday.
