By ‘Damola Adeoye
Sometimes in August 1958, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), was extracted from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and it was at that time, referred to as the Immigration Department, which was headed by the Chief Federal Immigration Officer (CFIO).
Formally established by an Act of Parliament (Cap 171, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) on August 1, 1963, during the tenure of Alhaji Shehu Shagari, as Minister of Internal Affairs, the initial law regulating Immigration Duties was the Immigration Act of 1963, which has been amended twice; in 2014 and 2015.
The Service has from 1963 been restructured to manage modern migration in line with global, regional and sub-regional political alignments, and has as its core mandate, the control of persons entering or leaving Nigeria, the issuance of travel documents to bonafide Nigerians in and outside Nigeria, issuance of residence permits to foreigners in Nigeria, border surveillance and patrol, as well as the enforcement of laws and regulations its establishing act directly charged it.
Of these core competencies, the issuance of travel documents to bonafide Nigerians in and outside Nigeria appears to be its most advertised mandate.
Nigerians approach the Immigration Service for the issuance of new international passports, or renewal of same, whichever is applicable. A casual visit to any Immigration Command in Nigeria, will reveal a large turnout of Nigerians, desirous of possessing international passports, staying from dusk to dawn, perfecting processes leading to same.
While the official rate for the 32-page, five-year validity period passport is Twenty-Five Thousand Naira (N25,000), and the 64-page booklet costs Thirty-Five Thousand Naira (N35,000), the stark reality is that the price of the 32-page booklet ranges from Twenty-Seven Thousand Naira (N27,000) to Forty-Five Thousand Naira (N45,000), and the 64-page booklet may sell for as high as Seventy Thousand Naira (N70,000), depending on the applicant’s desired swiftness.
The earlier the desired collection time, the more expensive the job is. If it’s official, it’s called “normal”, if expedient, then it’s called “yau-yau”, meaning “fast fast”. Most Nigerians, who often want their passports issued on time, often travel the “yau-yau” route.
Sadly, for the past four months, the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), has failed in its core mandate of issuing international passports to qualified applicants. Persons who have already been captured by the Service’s Data Capturing Mechanism have waited and waited in vain for the all-elusive 32 or 64-page green booklet.
Sources within the Service who volunteered information on condition of annonymity, have blamed the inability of the Service to produce the passports on the unavailability of papers. “We don’t have paper, in fact, we have a backlog of passports to process, hence, we’ve not been taking on new applications,” the source said.
Another source added, “it’s a national problem. Imagine, we’ve not processed any passport here in our Command since 3 September, 2019?” Why the NIS feels comfortable with such ineptitude rankles good conscience. This is because, their inability to produce international passports, whether for new applicants, or renewal of existing ones, is a serious blot on international migration, and a drawback for efforts at promoting foreign direct investment.
How does the NIS want Nigerian students studying abroad for instance, to resume their studies, or even those of them granted scholarships to benefit from same, when those chances might have been blocked due to non-production of international passports?
In fact, the worst hit would be those who’ve gained international scholarships, as their granting institution would’ve laid down a resumption time, failing which defaulting students would have the scholarship forfeited. Without a doubt, the NIS would’ve assisted many prospective scholarship winners to forfeit what would’ve been a life-changing opportunity for them.
While the above is even mild, what does the Immigration Service want persons already billed for surgeries abroad to do, when they’re unable to either get their fresh passport, or renew same, due to no fault of theirs, but the issuing agency’s tardiness? For those of them battling life-threatening ailments, the NIS may have to be held responsible for their otherwise preventable deaths. If the nation’s healthcare system had been effective, would they have needed to travel out in search of medical tourism in the first instance?
Also to be hit, are businessmen and women who need to travel on business trips that otherwise would’ve ferreted in foreign exchange for the country, as well as bring in foreign direct investment from their partners.
Ideally, Nigeria with a population approaching 200million inhabitants, is a haven of opportunities for smart businesses, but when the nation’s Immigration continues to scupper international travel, through its “no-paper excuse”, then more harm than good is done to the economy.
For international tourists and promoters of international tourism, non-production of international passports under the inconceivable “no-paper” excuse is sickening. A lot of revenue, which the nation could possibly have earned from international tourism would definitely be lost. Nigeria cannot afford to lose revenue due to an agency’s poor service.
“I did my capturing early October, imagine, I’ve not collected my passport since,” an agitated Nigerian told this writer.
On that strength, concerned Nigerians have called on the Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Muhammed Babandede, and his supervising minister, Rauf Aregbesola, to use their good offices to take a serious look into this very ugly trend, stem its tide, and ensure timely production of the massive backlog of international passports.
They contend that Nigeria cannot plan to move forward in one breathe, and then move backwards in several breathes. To them, Nigeria must move forward, beginning from instances like this.
- Adeoye is an Ibadan-based journalist.
