By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA: The Federal Government has announced the arrest of some foreigners who had engaged in attempts to procure the Nigerian passport, commending Passport Control Officers PCOs of the Nigerian Immigration Service NIS for their vigilance and swift reporting protocol.
Accordingly, government said it is taking steps to immediately prosecute them in accordance with extant laws, vowing that the era of impunity was over.
Comptroller General of Immigration CGIS, Kemi Nandap disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja while declaring open a 3-day workshop on ‘Strengthening Identity Management through Innovations in Passport Administration’ for Passport Control Officers PCOs drawn from across the Federation.
According to her, the participants will be exposed to modules on ICT integration, customer satisfaction and document vetting all of which she said are essential to their roles as gatekeepers of national identity.
She said; “Please, I want you to know that this workshop is not a joke, because rising from this three-day workshop, any officer, any person who is caught, whether in your service, whether in your station or your post, because you will be responsible for everyone under your command – every of your officers, you are there supervising them. So anybody, don’t tell me that, ‘I didn’t know, it he or she who did it without my accord or without my knowledge’. That is not tenable anymore. We will hold everyone accountable. You must know what is happening in your area, in your post.
“So please, I am begging you now so that you won’t have to beg me. I am begging you now so you don’t come to beg me afterwards. We must all be open to it. It is not enough for you to do the ordinary, to do just the bare minimum. It is not acceptable, because the post you hold is very critical.
“Anyone who holds that passport, you are saying that you have certified that person as a bona fide, true Nigerian. That is what it means. So before you issue anybody that passport, make sure that, yes, you are satisfied that this person is a bona fide Nigerian. That is what our Act says and that is what you must all do because we are getting too many incessant issues of non-Nigerians acquiring our passports. But I am grateful and I am happy that you are reporting them to the Service headquarters. Please increase your vigilance because I know a lot of your Commands, a lot of Passport Officers have reported these cases and of course, our Legal team is working on it.
We will make sure that we prosecute them. They will not go free. Not anymore. It is not acceptable”.
The CGIS also warned against extortion and all forms of malpractices, promising swift sanctions as well as rewards in cases of excellence.
While she charged the officers to ensure speed and keep to timelines, the Immigration boss however said all proper background security protocols must be observed before the passports are issued.
According to her, the passport is a symbol of the Nigerian nation, noting that issuing it must be done with absolute integrity.
“You must be diligent and you must be speedy. The timeline must be maintained. I don’t want anyone calling me that, ‘oh, we applied for passports three months ago and they are still not ready’. So, we must maintain that timeline and we must make sure that it goes through the rigours of security checks. There must be absolute vetting. You must all be up and doing it. It is not just for you to sit in your offices and have your people do whatever they need to do.
“Vetting is a must. You must vet. Make sure you maintain the integrity of these passports because that is what takes us around the world and if you issue it to non Nigerians, the world is watching you because they know. We are watching you.
“As immigration officers, we know we can detect if you are not a Nigerian by the way you talk, by your looks and the other criteria that we use. So you must be aware of these features. And you know we are transforming this service in line with the renewed agenda of Mr President. Our systems are automated.
“We are not reinventing the wheel, no. But what we are saying is there must be due diligence. There must be punctuality.
You must uphold that integrity and don’t forget that the Nigerian passport ecosystem is the fastest way, the window between the Service and the public – both locally and internationally. So it is an area where we cannot afford to fail Nigerians.
“I will also let you know that the stance of the Service is absolute zero tolerance for corruption, bribery or any fraudulent activity. Anybody who is associated or caught in such acts will be dealt with severely and immediately. Immediate consequences. Inasmuch as we are meting consequences on people erring, we also award and reward excellence as well. We appreciate when people know what to do and they do the right thing and I know you guys are all working hard. I know what it is. It is not easy. I know and I appreciate your hard work. I appreciate the fact that you keep the system moving but that is not enough. The ordinary is not enough. The usual business is not enough. It is not acceptable anymore. Nigerians expect better from us and this uniform we are wearing is in trust. It is a symbol of trust – as you see a Nigerian immigration officer, you know that yes, your borders are secure. Your identity management, your identity security documents are secure. So it is a trust. Please, that trust must be maintained”, she added.
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