Emmahunk:
CHANGE? You Will Be Shocked At What I Saw In This Govt. Office. (photos)
In a Country where it's extremely difficult to find any public office that actually works, I hardly expected much but my experience at Warri Passport Office left me stunned.
I have decided to share this because we as citizens owe it as a duty to bring to public knowledge the ills in our public institutions. In same vein, posterity will hold us accountable if we do not commend those that at least tried to make a difference. Having been away from the Country for close to a decade, I have decided to come back home a little earlier and uppermost in my agenda was the renewal of my Nigerian passport. At Lagos ,my siblings had advised that I handle the renewal when I got into my good old town of Warri as the town now boasts of a Passport Office. I actually agreed to this with mixed feelings knowing what the hustle and bustle of anything Warri used to be like. Few days after I arrived Warri, I left for the passport office not knowing what to expect in the company of my two siblings.
My first shock came when at the main gate of the Delta State Government House Annex, manned by different security agencies, a young Immigration officer almost magically appeared beside the passenger door of my car and politely asked; " sir, how may we help you?" For the first few seconds, I was pleasantly surprised and wondered if this was happening in the same Nigeria we have been reading so much filth about.
On realising that I had come to renew my expired passport, this same man politely directed us where to park the car and proceeded with us in tow to where he called the 'servicom' desk. By this time, I had taken a quick assessment of the environment and besides a sign on the wall that reads, "welcome to Warri Passport Office" , there was nothing to tell me I was in a Passport office. I mean, no crowd, no hustling and bustling that is synonymous with your average passport office. At this point, I have become very apprehensive. My mind kept screaming, scam!
Anyway, now at the servicom desk, I met about two people already filling out forms and I joined them while wondering where everyone else was if truly I was in the right place. Few minutes later, one of the officers at the desk ushered us into a fully air conditioned semi hall where over fifty people were comfortably seated watching a news channel on a wide LCD television. Again, I wondered but this time at the serenity and orderliness of the crowd. Something definitely is not right, I reasoned. Then, just as we were settling down, a voice came through the speakers installed somewhere: " Attention please , Numbers.....to....,please move to room 3 to collect your passports". I was still wondering if truly this was Nigeria when another voice called out this time a set of names directing them to two different rooms conspicuously marked SCREENING AND APPROVALS. The orderliness was so amazing that for a moment, I realised that this Country can work again. By now, my inquisitive mind was asking so many questions and as if in answer to one of these numerous questions, a young lady in well fitted uniform emerged from the room marked 'screening and walked briskly into the room marked 'approval'. She emerged from the room in less than two minutes and in very clear voice called out about ten names of people that she asked to follow her for capturing.
I was stunned and took a quick glance at my wrist watch as people left the room in batches creating room for new entrants like myself. My watch revealed that I had spent about forty two minutes when I heard my name over the speakers. I quickly entered the room that I was directed to and met about four busy officers again in an air conditioned room. The interview was brisk, thorough BUT professional.
In all it took an hour and 52 minutes from the time I sat down at the servicom desk to submit my application before my number was announced to go to room 3 for collection of my passport.
Albeit this sounds too good to be true, I must confess that till this moment of writing, I am still wondering how a public office in Nigeria can be so organised , comfortable , courteous and efficient.
Definitely, all hope is not lost in this Country, trust me.
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