Early signs, indicating NIS might dive into a more brutal pre-backlog clearance era.


The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) commenced its well-publicized ‘new regime’ on June 8, 2021, after a halt in international passports services on its online portal. That was after a postponement from the earlier proposed 1st of June, 2021, enabling the agency, to effect a complete overhaul of the system in passport acquisition processes. From self-registration on its online portal to capturing of applicant’s biometrics at passport processing centers, down to production, and final booklet issuance to applicants.

The topmost of the reasons behind such a wonderful and innovative idea was to clear a backlog of passport applications, which was becoming a menace and demeaning to the agency.

The processes advertised, especially the self-registration aspect was ideal. It allows applicants to carefully and confidently vet their entries, in a considerate environment and manner, before final submission on the NIS registration portal. This appears genuine, seamless, fantastic, excellent, and encouraging for applicants to embrace.

Despite its portrayed determination, in ensuring transparency and fairness to all applicants, free from corporate sharp practices by its officers, it seems the agency has a lot of work to do in this regard.

From public sources, applicants’ experiences in the current passport regime, are yet to spell much positive difference, from the subjected harsh and brutal conditions and circumstances Nigerians underwent, in acquiring or renewing their passports in the past era.

When FradorMedia’s newsman approached a young man, who appeared unperturbed, while other applicants are obviously eager to be attended to, for fillings or capturing, at one of the passport processing centers in Lagos, the following conversation ensued:

Hi, greetings to you.

Applicant: To you too bro.

Are you here for a passport? Sorry, you seem unbothered.

Applicant: Hm, bothered ke, I’m just waiting to be called in for capturing. Na him you wan process too?

Yeah, I registered online. Seems you came in very early abi na express you do?

Applicant: I get a contact for here shaa. But him been reason say that express thing no dey ground like this o.

Ah ah! wetin you come pay am for naa? you go don pay more money naa. No be to run am yourself sure pass?

Applicant: The thing be say if you pay them, they go put eye for your matter like this. Na 48k I pay like this o.

You mean say my own fit stay long.

Applicant: I no know shaa. Wetin I know be say they want make you bring money. I observe say all that file (he pointed at a different kind of file held by one officer), na for people wey do am online. I see say them dey stress those people die. One guy don commot like three times for here go outside, dem go tell am print all for collor, do this one do that one upon say him park all him documents join body, and na renewal him dey do. And after all that, dem tell am say e no still sure am to capture this week self.

So they still they do this thing after dem don enter new regime when dem hype wella.

Applicant: Hm bros, you go ready for frustration oo, God go help you shaa.

Post backlog clearance experiences and public recounts from applicants, however, suggest the ‘new’ is becoming more pronounced, in the technically re-strategized staff-sustained touting, racketeering, and other corporate vices. This is aimed at severely hurting the applicants, their purses, and their time.

A simple look at public sources would address one’s curiosity on this subject. Here is another experience from an online user (quoted anonymously), affirming the pre-backlog dirty practices, still exist in NIS.

I was at the immigration office today and my “link” there made it clear, that there is nothing like express IP process at the branch, as it used to be.

The major difference, between those who follow the DIY route and those who pay for express, is just that in the latter, the time between application and capturing is expedited. An individual monitors your application until receipt of the IP.

The 6 weeks duration, between application and receipt of the IP applies to both categories.

However, I noticed the reluctance to attend to those who applied through the DIY route (You know that their feeling of ‘you non wan pay abi?’). The files of those who took the other route were prioritized, which makes it possible to apply and ‘capture’ the same day.

I hope this trend does not bring back the backlog problem, especially for those who applied via the DIY route.

Anyway, I used the other route, after much persuasion from family but I don’t think there is much difference between both.

The vent hereunder, is to a deep sense of hurt, coming directly from an aggrieved applicant, from the Port Harcourt passport office. Although, the applicant didn’t state what exactly transpired between them, went extreme with rage... Read more...

https://www.fradormedia.com/2021/07/signs-nis-risks-leap-diving-into-a-more-brutal-past.html