JOHOR BARU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob made a surprise visit to the Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Building here to check on the condition of one of the busiest checkpoints in the country.

       It was learnt that he spent about 15 minutes at the CIQ with Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and state secretary Tan Sri Datuk Dr Azmi Rohani.

       In a Facebook post, the Prime Minister said that the facilities at the CIQ would be improved as soon as possible.

       “The building has recovered after the full reopening of the border.

       “I was able to enjoy the facilities at the CIQ, including its public transport, which is in good condition. However, there are some faulty escalators and autogates.

       “This issues would be solve as soon as possible for the benefit of Keluarga Malaysia and travelers,” said the Prime Minister on his Facebook page after the visit.

       He also shared a one-minute video of his visit.

       ALSO READ: Johor CIQ in need of a facelift

       Onn Hafiz thanked the Prime Minister for taking the time to check on the condition of the CIQ during his visit to Johor.

       “Thank you, Datuk Ismail Sabri for the willingness to come down to the field and see for yourself the situation at the CIQ.

       “May the visit help to bring about more benefits to users here,” he said in a Facebook post on Sunday (June 12).

       Onn Hafiz had previously made a surprise visit to the CIQ. After his spot check recently, the Mentri Besar posted a video, saying that he had heard the people’s complaints and would look into them.

       ALSO READ: Border reopening: 400,000 expected to pass through land border with Singapore, says Johor MB

       The Mentri Besar had also made several impromptu visits to other government buildings such as the Home Ministry complex in Setia Tropika and Hospital Sultanah Aminah.

       Previously, The Star reported that the CIQ at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) was in need of a facelift as its existing facilities were old and required urgent upgrading.

       Frequent users have said that they feel the escalators, Immigration autogates and other features need sprucing up now that international borders have reopened.

       The Home Ministry manages BSI and prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Immigration Department was the largest agency there with over 1,400 personnel.