BAUCHI STATE IMMIGRATION SERVICE: A HOUSE OF CORRUPTION

That corruption has torn down the fabric of our values as a nation Nigeria is a 'reputation' that's globally recognized and felt by whoever has had to transact any business with the national agencies, departments or ministries. The unscrupulous acts of many officials that run these bodies of government have continually grown malignant on daily basis as none of the measures to tame them would ever be effective.

For many conversant with the happenings in these government entities would understand that attempts at limiting corrupt practices have been stamped upon by its official because their respiratory survival depends solely on the oxygen of corruption.

My experience with the Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS) Bauchi State, Nigeria goes thus: Having visited the immigration office located within the Federal Secretariat Complex, Bauchi, a place that houses many of the departments and agencies of government, severally to secure the Nigeria e-passport and being attended with 'no bribe no passport' approach, I decided to visit the immigration portal and did all the necessary requirements and made online payment via the netpost merchant. I was subsequently scheduled for interview at the Bauchi office on 3rd July, 2017 because I chose it base on proximity. However, on getting to the office with the intention of securing my passport, the officers in charge requested that I must pay a processing fee of four thousand naira (#4000) otherwise they aren't going to proceed with the issuance of the password. This was after one of them had vetted my documents and the status of the application on their portal. I told them that I am not aware of any other administrative processing fee and that I doubt if that obtains in other states of the federation. One of them then removed the earlier submitted documents from the folder which had been created for it and handed me the documents. At this point, I realized they are hell bent on forcefully making me to pay before they would issue the passport hence, I brought out my phone to capture the conversations and I requested them to give me the account number to pay to or direct me to the account section of the facility to pay in the said amount. This they further objected. I then ask to see the boss or the comptroller and one A. S. Sambo told me that the boss has gone to Abuja for requisition of passport materials and that I should come back the following week. I told him that will I have to come back the following week because they refuse to issue me a passport for which I had been scheduled for interview on that fateful day, then it has to be documented by them to which none of the officials them subscribed to and at that point they asked me to leave their office. The guy attending to me and who specifically asked for the 'processing fee' then strangled my phone off me that why was I videotaping them and that I must delete the video which I objected to because I told them that would be my only evidence against their acts in the court of law. The arguments that it's illegal to videotape a conversation with a paramilitary body official lead to one Shehu Ibrahim and one other Babani slapping me. It was then obvious that whoever is the Comptroller of that division must get to know about that activities of his 'boys'. Eventually, I was taken to the Comptroller whom had been said to have travelled to Abuja. He expressed that he isn't happy about recording his staff and
pleaded that I should delete the video (backed up) and sanctioned the erring official immediately.

The online payment platform was actually designed to limit the contact of immigration officials with the public and as such minimize the corrupt practices that have characterized the issuance of passport to Nigerians. I however think that if a government official would deny me of having what I am legally disposed to have having met all the requirements hence, the need to shake the structure of such Institution and kick for the disengagement of the officers to serve as a deterrent to others.