By Odita Sunday
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), in collaboration with Lagos State University (LASU), has partnered with the African Borderlands Research Network (ABORNE) to advance research, policy and security approaches to border management across Africa.
The partnership was highlighted at the 2026 Annual Conference of ABORNE, hosted by the Nigeria Immigration Service and Lagos State University in Lagos from August 24 to 28, with the theme: “The Connected Borderlands, Socio-Cultural Integration, and the Centrality of Policy, Research, and Security.”
The conference is bringing together researchers, policymakers, security professionals and other stakeholders to examine how research, technology, policy and security can be integrated to create safer, more connected and resilient African borderlands.
Representing the Honourable Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister, Dr Kareem Olakoju, reaffirmed the strategic importance of effective border governance to Nigeria’s security and migration framework.
Olakoju also stressed the need for stronger institutional partnerships to tackle the complex challenges associated with security, human movement and development across Africa’s borderlands, while declaring the conference open.
In her welcome address, the Comptroller-General of Immigration, KN Nandap, pcc, fsmn, highlighted Nigeria’s leadership in border modernisation, recalling the country’s pioneering introduction of Africa’s first electronic passport in 2007.
She noted that the NIS had continued to advance border management through enhanced e-Passports, contactless biometric passport services and Automated Border Control.
According to her, borders should no longer be viewed merely as lines separating countries but as dynamic spaces where people, communities, economies and cultures interact.
Nandap further identified intelligence sharing, cybersecurity, surveillance and command-and-control capabilities, capacity building and research as critical components of Nigeria’s strategy for building safe, connected and resilient borderlands.
The Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University, Professor Folashade Tolulope Ogunsola, said the institution remained committed to producing research that responds to the realities of Africa’s borderlands.
She described borderlands as living spaces of interaction, identity, mobility and exchange, stressing that effective border governance requires a strong connection between research, practice and policy.
Also speaking, the Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Commissioner of Tertiary Education, Hon. Tolani Sule Akibu, underscored the significance of Lagos hosting the continental forum.
He reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to supporting platforms that promote research, strengthen regional cooperation and develop practical solutions to border and migration challenges across Africa.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the ABORNE Chiefs, Prof. Paul Nugent, and distinguished border scholar, Prof. Anthony I. Asiwaju, called for stronger links between research, policy and practice in addressing the continent’s borderland challenges.
Nugent emphasised the importance of evidence-based approaches to border governance and regional cooperation.
In his keynote address titled “20 Years After CIUDAD JUAREZ: ABORNE Ship Berths in Lagos,” Asiwaju reflected on the evolution of African border studies and highlighted the significance of bringing the ABORNE conference to Lagos.
The conference, which runs until August 28, is focusing on key issues including policy, migration, smart borders, digital identity, regional integration and cross-border security.
The gathering also reinforces the Nigeria Immigration Service’s commitment to promoting secure, connected and resilient border management through research, innovation and strategic partnerships.
e-Signed
DCI Akinsola Akinlabi
Service Public Relations Officer
Nigeria Immigration Service Headquarters, Abuja
25th August, 2026
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