VISIBLE CHANGES IN NIGERIA IMMIGRATION SERVICE IMO STATE COMMAND

BY IKE  NJOKU (08061554948)

The current happenings in the office of the Nigeria Immigration Service,Imo State Command, could be likened to the biblical injunction in the book of Proverbs chapter 29:2, which says”when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice”.

A recent visit to the Command,one will notice visible changes prior to what was obtainable in the past .

Formerly,once you enter the federal Secretariat complex along Port-Harcourt road, you will be accosted by some personnel of the Nigeria Immigration Service that hangs around the gate or under the trees hustling for prospective International passport seekers, either those coming for a new one or to renew their expired ones and you will be asked” na passport?”.A replica of what happens at Alaba international market or motor parks where touts struggle to woo passengers.

The unbiquitious nature of these Border Agency Personnel,makes one to wonder if the complex houses only immigration personnel.

Similarly, passport seekers were made to stand for hours waiting for their turn,as there were not enough seats to contain the crowd.

Then, coming for passport renewal or acquisition is like a mirage for some following the surge,coupled with attendant delay,time wasting and non availability of booklets.

Those wishing to travel back or out were compelled to wait for months,as available information then revealed that the booklets were gotten from Enugu which served the teeming population of the south-east.This frustrating action prompted Imo indigenes and residents to seek for alternative elsewhere.

People then go to Bayelsa,Cross River states and even far north for their passport booklets,were it was easier to get.

My very self was equally a victim.I was to travel for a seminar, unfortunately,my passport had expired, following the non availability of booklets experienced in Imo then, I had to make a move to one of the South-south states and to God be the glory it was a success story.

The issue then was not limited to the above facts, other departments had their own issues too.Once it is your time to be captured,as soon as you go in,you will hear a heralding”welcome sir”oga your boys are here ooo” etc.

While it is not wrong to show appreciation,but it becomes worrisome when you have stood for hours without having chair to sit down and not in good frame of mind.

Change they say is the only thing constant.A man once wrote on his bus”DAY SHALL TELL”. Eventually, DAY has actually TELLED,as those things experienced previously in NIS IMO command is now a thing of the past.

A recent visit to the Command revealed that those personnel that previously hang around the gate and under the trees are no longer found there, except for the armed Immigration guards stationed by the gate for security reasons.

Seemingly, prospective passport seekers now have a comfortable place to sit while waiting for their turn and there is security check at the entrance where you are expected to deposit your phones.

Three big plasma televisions have been provided to keep the people busy with news, entertainment and other educative programmes.With these,one may be held spellbound without knowing when it got to his or her turn.

Personally, during my recent visit to the Command,I had the opportunity of watching a relayed football match that duty schedule didn’t permit me to watch.kudos!!! to Imo command.

The era of none availability of booklet is now a forgone story,kudos again to NIS Comptroller-General,Mrs Caroline Adepoju,the Comptroller Imo Command,Mrs Ezeugwu Nkechinyere and the passport Comptroller Dr Mrs Kelechi Achonwa, who appeared to be very energetic and  dedicated officer.

Some of the prospective passport seekers that I interacted with,expressed optimism contrary to what it used to be in the past.

Also,it was observed that new carvan has been put in place to augment the inadequate office space capacity and there is a working system that propels service delivery and quality assurance.

I also garnered that booklets are now readily available,as such Imo indigenes have no need paying for hotel bills in Bayelsa and Calabar just to procure an international passport which is  right of citizens and not a privilege according to the Minister of Interior,Mr Olubumi Tunji-Ojo during his recent recent maiden working visit to the paramilitary agencies.

Based on seeming observations from Imo command of the Nigeria Immigration Service, will it be wrong to say  that when the Head is working,the Tail complies?.

Further investigation revealed that the Comptroller-General of NIS is a woman,the Comptroller Imo command a woman and the Passport Comptroller (PCO),a woman too.if I may ask,has the men failed?. that will be a discussion for another day.

It would be recalled that the NIS Imo   command between 30thJune-1st July,2023,at the banquet hall of Tulip Hotel,celebrated the 60 years anniversary of the Border Agency with the theme:Enhancing regular migration.

Against this backdrop,it would be recalled that in an effort to give a boost to the ongoing passport reform process, the acting Comptroller-General of NIS,Mrs Adepoju Caroline Wura-Ola,noted that best personnel that showcase the principle of”SERVICE ABOVE SELF’, would be appointed into key positions and this brings us to  the biblical injunction in Proverbs 29:2, which says”when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice,but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn”.