The Federal Government has directed all foreigners resident in Nigeria to sign up for the migrant e-registration programme.

The e-registration exercise requires all foreign nationals to capture their biometric information within 90 days of entering the country.

Assistant Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mohammed Alfa in an address on Friday in Ikeja, Lagos said this has become necessary following the directive given by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria has directed that all foreigners in the country go to the registration centers and do the e-registration.

He added that President Muhammadu Buhari has therefore granted amnesty to all illegal migrants in the country “but he went further to state that any migrants who fail to comply will be declared as illegal migrant and sanctioned.”

The purpose of this initiative is to enhance national security and improve internal monitoring and record-keeping as this information will be linked with national identity eco-system to generate a unique number that will eventually connect to all identity system in Nigeria.

The migrant e-registration is scheduled to last for six months and close in December 2019. Any foreign national who fails to register within the prescribed period will be declared as an illegal immigrant

The e-registration process was launched in July 2019 and requires every foreign national residing in Nigeria to register with the Nigerian Immigration Service by 12 January 2020. (Channels TV)