INVESTIGATION: How Extortion by Immigration Officers is Worsening Passport Registration, Issuance

INVESTIGATION: How Extortion by Immigration Officers is Worsening Passport Registration, Issuance

By Salis Muhammad Manager and Lawal Dahiru Mamman

“Do you know how many times I have visited this place just to get this passport of a thing? The whole process is supposed to be seamless with technology. But no, we were still made to fill forms manually, before capturing our biometric data.

“But first we had to fill the forms online. And now, for us to get our passport has become a problem. The truth is, the whole process is totally frustrating,” said two passport applicants, who our PRNigeria reporters met at the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, Corporate Headquarters in Abuja, some few weeks ago.

The applicants lamented the anguish they were made to pass through at the NIS Headquarters, while applying for their passports.

Last year, the Federal Government, recognizing the difficulty attached to acquiring or renewing passports – official means of identification obtained from the Immigration Service to enable Nigerian travels across the globe – leveraged technology, by putting new regulations in place for passport registration.

With that, the Nigerian passport is expected to be processed by NIS within six weeks for fresh applications, while three weeks for renewal.

The government’s move, aimed at removing the interference of ‘middlemen’ and curbing corrupt practices associated with passport issuance, however failed to yield good results. At the moment, it takes most applicants between three to six months before finally collecting their passport documents, even at the Immigration corporate office in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

Recalled that (then) Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, while hoping to put an end to the nightmare of applicants said, “The process of issuing the Nigerian passport would be fully digitalised before the end of 2022. The process of applications would no longer be business as usual. The decision is to cut off completely any form of contact between applicants and immigratwhich gives rise to corruption in the process; the maximum period for processing fresh passport applications is now six weeks while passport renewal would no longer be more than three weeks. One objective is to eliminate corruption and passport racketeering among immigration officers.”

But a year later, complaints by applicants have not stopped. A cross section of them, while speaking to PRNigeria in confidence, alleged that the NIS and its officers still extort persons interested in getting fresh or renewed passports.

“The NIS officers still perpetrate other fraudulent acts, that contravene their statutory mandates,” one of them said.

Types of Passports

There are five types of passports issued by FG through the Nigeria Immigration. They include: standard passport, which is recognized by its green cover and is accessible to all Nigerian nationals; and diplomatic passport, which has a distinct red cover and is exclusively reserved for high-ranking government officials, government ambassadors, and other key personnel like President, Vice President, Governors, Senators and other officials of significant status.

Others are: official passport, with a blue cover and reserved for Ministers, Governors, Permanent Secretaries and Secretary to the Government of the Federation; seaman’s passport, which caters for those employed in the maritime occupation and is recognized by its maroon cover; and finally the pilgrim passport for those embarking on religious pilgrimage to sacred cities such as Jerusalem and Makkah.

Acquiring Standard Passport and Frustrations of ‘Ordinary’ Nigerians

The standard passport has proved difficult to obtain by many Nigerians, especially those who applied without having an influential authority, someone in the corridor of power, a ‘helpful’ immigration officer or money for bribe.

A lady who simply identified herself as Rosemary, complained about the stress she went through before collecting her passport, recently.

Rosemary, in a chat with PRNigeria, said, “These things are not easy if you have no one. I did my capturing in April this year, and my supposed collection date was in May. But I have been coming back and forth, all to no avail.

“I am a working-class lady and I have other businesses to attend to. Maybe if I had paid those who advertize themselves as agents or paid an additional fee during the capturing, the story would have been different”.

Similarly, Mrs. Adeola (surname withheld), a mother of three, who was processing a family passport complained that she has been battling to get her passport, for months now.

Adeola noted that she was asked to pay N15,000 in order to “fast track” the collection, since she lacks a NIS staff to ‘lobby’ for her.

“I have been around since about 8:15 am waiting for my name to be called, as today is my supposed collection day. But surprisingly, my name has not been announced. The worst part is that there is no guarantee I will even collect it after waiting and wasting all day.

“It is so frustrating and the system is simply too corrupt,” she told one of our reporters, who disguised as an applicant awaiting his passport.

Passport Processing, Documents and Tales of Woes

The move by the Immigration authorities to cut off the influence of ‘middlemen’ who aid passports’ collection, together with the corrupt practices of some of the Service’s personnel have proved futile, investigations by our reporters revealed.

Going by the guidelines of the Immigration for passport issuance, the first thing involved in processing a standard passport is to “Fill an application form and select a passport processing centre on its online application portal.”

This requires an applicant to provide his or her personal information like: ACTIVE EMAIL ADDRESS, FULL NAME, DATE OF BIRTH, RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS, STATE OF ORIGIN, INFORMATION OF NEXT OF KIN, a processing centre and importantly a National Identification Number (NIN).

After completing the application, an 11-digit application number, and a 12-digit reference number will be assigned to each applicant for further processing.

Secondly, one is expected to “Choose a Payment Option and Make Payment.” Two payment options are made available. Thereafter, one will be expected to generate a Remita Retrieval Reference (RRR), payment, which can be made at any commercial bank or via online using an ATM card.

Failure to make payment 90 days after the application invalidates the registration automatically.

Also, one will then print the payment receipt sent to his or her email address, provided during application, together with the CONFIRMATION STATUS on the NIS portal.

The next stage is to “Book an Appointment for Biometric Enrolment.” The process allows applicants to choose a convenient date and time, ranging between 9am and 4pm for biometric enrolment. For the enrolment, an applicant is required to “Proceed for Enrolment on his or her Scheduled Date and Time.”

This stage requires applicants to visit the Biometric Centre with the following documents: a copy of National Identification Number (NIN) slip, completed passport application form, two passport photographs duly signed by a guarantor, and a completed guarantor’s form duly signed by a commissioner for oaths.

Others include a photocopy of the guarantor’s Nigerian e-Passport data page, and a passport-sized photograph of the guarantor, together with his or her birth certificate/declaration of age, identification from local government or state of origin, and evidence of payment. Married citizens, minor or re-issues require additional documents to those listed.

And finally, the applicant “Wait for Passport Pick-up notification (via SMS)” six weeks after completing the biometric enrolment.

If the online registration and payment process is not hectic, the next stage of the exercise is everything but seamless.

Eklou Joseph, a student intending to further his education in Indonesia, expressed dismay about the “haphazard and cumbersome” nature of processing passports at Immigration offices, across the country.

He said: “When my friend made his online payment, they frustrated him because they assumed he was trying to be clever, by first registering online, instead of physically seeking their help for the registration”.

Speaking further, he said: “For me, I didn’t bother to pay online, I came here directly and paid N150,000 for a 64-page passport with ten-years validity which normally cost N70,000. The N80,000 I added to the N70,000 for my passport is for ‘fast tracking’. Meaning, the NIS officials will fast-track the processing of my passport, and ensure that I get it in a week, after completing my registration”.

On the biometric enrolment, an applicant who preferred his name is not mentioned, said, “It is good that they allow you choose a date for your biometric enrolment. But when something happens and you are unable to make it on that day, rescheduling becomes a problem. I suffered the same fate due to unforeseen circumstance and could not make it on the day I chose”.

Costs of Passport

The printing of required documents, photocopies, transport and other miscellaneous depends on geographical location, while payment for passport processing remains constant depending on the duration and numbers of pages.

The 32-page passport, with a validity of five years and 64-page with ten years validity costs N25, 000, and N70, 000, respectively.

The Frustration of Collecting Passport, by Nigerians

Usman Babangida’s story was one that is unpleasant to hear. According to him, “My experience in applying for a passport was honestly a very bad one, because I lost an opportunity to attend an international conference.

“I didn’t encounter any challenge during the application stage, because I was able to cut corners through an immigration officer who I paid the sum of ₦45,000 to, with an additional ₦15,000 as incentive, summing the amount paid to ₦60,000.

“I thought I would be able to do the biometric capture immediately but lo and behold, I was asked to book an appointment in three weeks time. The news got to me like a shock because I thought to myself if capturing would be in three weeks, how long would it take to get the passport?

“As the date of the conference draws closer without my passport at hand, I lost interest in attending the event, and felt disappointed for Nigeria as a country for not being able to cater for the need of her citizens in their times of need.

“The NIS department that frustrated my passport registration is the production unit. Because after my biometrics, I was told to come for my passport in six weeks time. Six weeks later, I went for it but my passport had not been produced. Different stories came up; the most annoying one is that an Irish company was in charge of the production despite competent Nigerian firms and talented unemployed youths loitering all over the country. I felt ashamed for Nigeria as a country”.

Another lady who craved anonymity said she decided to be a law-abiding citizen and become the change she hopes to see in others.

But unfortunately, she was failed by the ‘Nigerian system’ and had to succumb to corrupt practices, in order to process her passport issuance.

She told PRNigeria, “I registered and also paid the passport registration fee online. It was a smooth process, and I picked a date for my capturing. I did not experience any difficulty while registering online.

“But when I went for capturing, there were a lot of people sitting and standing in front of the Immigration Biometrics Centre. I then approached an officer controlling the crowd. I told him I registered online and he and some of his colleagues laughed at me. He then told me to smarten up and do the needful else I won’t be able to do my capturing that day.

“I had to succumb to pressure, bought into their idea and asked what was needed to get me into the almighty capturing room. The officer told me to pay him ₦10,000, I pleaded for ₦5,000, and he agreed.

“After paying the N5,000, I got captured immediately. But I left unhappy that I had to bribe my way for my biometrics to be captured”.

The Public Relations Officer, PRO, of the NIS did not pick calls made and text messages sent to his mobile lines, by our reporters, as at press time.