The 13th day of July, 2024 will be judged by history as epochal in character, for being the day the first Catholic Priest was commissioned as an Immigration Officer. His name, Revd. Fr. Donald Jooji Tersoo.
The Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, is a governmental organization responsible for border security and migration management in Nigeria. It was established by the Act of Parliament in 1963. In 2015, the 1963 Act was repealed and replaced with the Immigration Act 2015, which positions the service with the legal instrument to combat the Smuggling of migrants (SOM) in Nigeria.
Through the ages, the Holy Catholic Church has consciously accompanied her faithful on their journey of life, sharing in their joys and hopes, in their griefs and anxieties (G.S 1). This motivation has led Ordained ministers to dedicate their lives from time to time, to special services that address the peculiar needs of a particular group of Catholic faithful. Hence, Priests are enlisted to train as soldiers, as Policemen and even as prison warden. But until now, no Priest had been enlisted to train as an Immigration officer; hence, this is a first, and a beautiful sign of growth for the Catholic Church in Nigeria, occuring 61 years after the establishment of the Service.
Having served as Chaplain of the Immigration Chaplaincy for about a year, and through interventions and diplomatic actions of the Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Revd. Fr. Donald Jooji Tersoo, recieved an offer to be trained as an Immigration officer on the 15th of august, 2023, on the third anniversary of his Priestly Ordination.
Fr. Donald is a Priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, he was born on the 31st of January, graduated from LEA Primary School Jikwoyi, Abuja, and St
John Bosco Secondary school, Doma, Nasarawa State for his primary and secondary education respectively.
In 2010, he was admitted by the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, to be trained as a Priest, and was assigned to the Seminary of Saint Peter the Apostle, Eruku, Kwara State, for his spiritual year formation. After a successful one year spiritual formation, Fr. Donald proceeded to St. Augustine’s Major Seminary for the traditional 8-year period of formation, after which he honourably graduated with Bachelor’s degrees, each in Philosophy and Sacred Theology.
Fr. Donald was Ordained Priest on the 15th August, 2020, and was assigned to St. William’s Catholic Church, Sabon Kawu, where he worked for about a year and then to St. Joseph Immigration Catholic Chaplaincy, at the Service Headquarters, Abuja, where he worked until he got this epochal appointment.
So, for the first time, we have the pleasure of introducing to you, Assistant Superintedent of Immigration II, Revd. Fr. Donald Jooji Tersoo.
The church prayed that Fr. Donald be filled with the great wisdom and humble spirit of God to lead his people to the heart of God by words and conduct and find fulfilment in this special ministry.