fabem:
Here is my experience as a DIY applicant at Ibadan Office of NIS.
Good afternoon to you all. Its a lengthy one but if you take your time, you will find it worthy especially those that wants to do DIY.
I have been following this thread for years but just silent reader since i wasn't ready to apply for any passport.
Around March this year, I decided that it is time to get my passport because of incoming opportunities.
I went through like 50 new pages of the thread to gather latest new infos.
The journey begins;
I went through the web to read all the instructions before i begin my application and after going through it, i begin the application.
- I opened the portal www.passport.immigration.gov.ng and registered within 30mins.
- I copied out my application and reference number, it is a key DIY applicants must have on their phone anytime.
- Time for payment, my mastercard for declining for the payment. kept trying it for days using different options apart from paystack, the same thing, used different banks, the same issue persist  I was like village no want make i apply).  So i was already behind schedule. Without payment you can't choose appointment date.
- Some days later i open the portal login, i went through other payment options, i saw transfer options, called Sanna pay agent via their web and told me to ahead that they will confirm it within 30mins. I paid 25,000 and 500 as transaction fees making total of 25,500 qnd truly it was confirmed within 10mins and appears on my NIS application page that i have paid. I scaled that hurdle.
- I was like i will choose date later since na Ibadan, we no dey rush things like lag people  make i rest small, something tells me to check on how their appointment page looks like, na so i went to through www.appointment.immigration.gov.ng, I paid around May 4th. All the remaining working days in may are fully booked. I said abi na my eyes dey pain me ni?  I went through june, fully booked, i was like ha, so things be like this? Only July and August have space, i didn't choose date and left it.
- Few minutes later, i went back to book appointment, fortunately i saw an opening on June 8th, i sharply pick the date and save it for printing later. How did that happen, I don't know. I saved all the application on my phone. I went to business center and to get it printed.
-I have 5weeks of waiting for the appointed capturing date. Well i used the time to gather my documents, I couldn't get guarantor a week to the capturing date, because those i trusted to help as my guarantor are doing somehow even in Church, I let it slide. Chatted an old friend who is a big brother, he offered to help. He gave me his passport and ID to go and use it and bring it back whenever I am through with it this. He filled the form for me and signed. I can never forget that gesture forever.
- I went to local Government magistrate court near my house for the stamp, the man said #500, i sha bargain to #300 and got the stamp.
I went to do enough photocopies. This is just one day to the capturing.
I am ready for the capturing!
On June 8th, 2022. I left early, just an hour to my place, i got there 8.05am and i saw many people outside already. They ushered us in, we all sat down. One of the officers came to address us, they have a parade we should wait until they finished. They spent an hour on the parade ground.
Everyone went to their various offices, the officers brought files, and started calling names, mumu me sat and expecting my name to be called. 
I waited for over two hours, i was like what is going on here? Not knowing my real journey just started.
THE REAL JOURNEY
I stood up and approached the officer who just finished calling names. Sir, i didn't hear my name for capturing, he said who is handling my files, i said myself. He asked why? I told him i applied online, he looked at me from head to toe, and hissed! He left! I was dumbfounded and disappointed.
I saw another officer and approached him, i told him my predicament, and i quote him "ha ha, you for don come before capturing date, you never do anything, you just applied, you never do anything. Online application have several stages which includes:"
i. Documents arrangements
ii. Account checking
iii. Verification
iv. Interview
v. Capturing
He said i can't capture that day again, i have to follow the due process first. He directed me to the office where my documents will be properly arranged. I went there, the officer who was on sit is a nice man, he sorted the files, gave me offline application form, almost same form we filled online, told me to go and do 10 photocopies  . When i got to the photocopy shop, the one woman said #100/copy. 
The vex wey i vex leave the place, i went out and bargain with a guy outside the NIS compound, he did it 3 for #50 for me. I rushed back inside, the man told me to fill the form and collected the remaining, i did so. He also told me to write a letter, i asked for a sample and he gave me one . After writing the letter, he brought a [b]brown file[/b]and attached the documents with it.
He told to go and come back after an hour. I did. Where they took my file to, the officer said they can't do anything again because there are too many crowd. He told me to come back next week (15th June). I collected his number. I chat him two days later and he told me, they have gone through my files and is ready for capturing. I was happy.
On june 15th, i left early as usual. I went straight to the office, and asked the office about my file, na there i know say the officer dey lie. He didn't even know where they kept DIY files again. They were looking everywhere for almost 20mins before they finally saw it. You can imagine. I saw some DIY files which are already dusty and unattended to.
I collected my file, i wanted to get angry. I calm my nerves, he directed me to where do my account checking. He supposed to be the one to carry the files around and get it signed. Here i am, doing his job. But if I don't do it, my file won't be attended to unless i pay, which i have vowed not to give any officer shishi.
Fortunately for me, but unfortunately for other offline applicants, the NIS capturing portal was totally down. So they couldn't do anything, so the officers have time for other things. They have my time now since all their applicants they collected money from, no network to capture them. 
I went to the account office, they checked online to be sure i really paid online. And i went for verification, few minutes later. The called me and two other offline applicants for interview. Everything went fast because they have nothing to do that period. The person that interview DIY is different from those that paid through agents. The man was nice. He was shocked that i haven't got captured and asked what the problem was, i told him. He said those officers lied to me, i could have done all everything same day i came last week.
He didn't even looked at my file that much, just glanced through it and signed every documents. He told me to take it back to verification unit, and he informed that Officer to take my file to the capturing unit which he did. I was relieved! It was around 2pm and capturing portal is still down.
Come and see film, some applicants who paid to some officers started shouting at them showing their frustrations. The officers were running up and down sweating. Why? The state controller is around and anyone caught lasan, you go collect kiakia.
When i see that the portal not coming up, there is Ibadan North local government secretariat sharing fence with NIS. I went to their INEC office, the gate man said they can't attend to anyone again time has gone. I was at the gate and saw of one of the Inec staff, i pleaded, told the gateman to open it for me. I went in, did my Inec registration within 10mins and i left. I don use 1 stone kills 2 birds bayen.
I went back, capturing never comes up, but that man at the interview session have told me, son do everything to get captured today because tomorrow or next week is not guaranteed. So i keep waiting, half of those to be captured have left.
We remain like 100+, around 5:25pm, portal came back. So they came with files and call to know who are still there for capturing. I was called among, then i knew i am 75% done! So by 7:30pm, i was called in, portal went off for another 20mins. Came back again. I was captured around 7:55pm. It was dark already.
After capturing, they gave me a piece of paper. Me i no send, i wanted to be sure, then i check www.track.immigration.gov.ng and i saw that my application is at production stage. I left!
Then i went into the production side and i was told to check within three to five weeks it will be out.
Note:
From my experience and mistakes;
1. If you are doing DIY, go there before capturing date, sort your files out till it reaches capturing unit. Then come on the capturing date. If you miss the capturing date, they can do it any day you go there, IF you tip officers at the capturing unit. No need to do reapportionment online again because online is fully booked till may August/September. Those agents are making it more complicated because they choose dates for their applicants too online.
2. What DIY applicants are doing is the same those officers are doing if you pay to them. What they do is, since they work there, they will fast track it. They also applied for you online.
3. If you are rushing to get your passport, DIY is not the best for you. The frustrations alone, many can't deal with it.
4. Many still don't know they can apply themselves. I have to create the awareness for applicants who paid to officers there. Some paid 50k, 70k depending on how the officer prey on their gullibility.
5. If you can negotiate with your agent and agree on 35k -40k, pls go for the agent because the 10k to 15k worth the stress especially if you are a busy type.
6. You can DIY and still pay like 10k to fast track your passport depending on how fast you need it.
7. You can pay to officers and still get delayed. So be sure the options that suite you.
8. DIY applicants are respected because they don't know who is who and nobody wants to loose their job. So they are being careful attending to you, they only use body language to frustrate you.
9. Do every photocopies before coming in or else photocopies go chop all of your money.
10. In Ibadan office, throughout the day i did capturing, out of 100s of files, only 3 are DIY and DIY uses brown file. While others uses white file.
I will stop here for now, sorry for length post, i hope new applicants can learn from it. Questions are welcome.
Thank you. Thank you for this write-up, it is helpful. Can you please describe how to locate the office you did your document arrangement at the Ibadan office. This will enable me go there straight. |
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