E-passport: Immigration warns against using touts

By Emeka Aginam

With its commitment to ensuring transparency and due process in the issuance of electronic passport introduced years back, the Nigerian Immigration at the Ikoyi Passport office Lagos State has cautioned e- passport applicants not to patronize touts in the acquisition of the product which has been on high demand by many Nigerians.

While condemning the illegal activities of street boys, a senior Immigration Officer who spoke to Vanguard Hi-Tech last Monday in Lagos on anonymous ground said that the process of getting the chip based product is gives equal opportunity to ever applicant.

“It is very amazing that applicants rely on touts when they can apply themselves and get it on time eventually.

“We have been saying it we are saying it again. Applicants should follow due process. I guess it economic waste patronizing street boys. It is very said that many applicants are lazy to apply themselves” he said.

Although activities of touts are a national issue, he said that obtaining e-passport is something any person can do no matter the literate level.

“If you look at out notice board outside there, it is written in black and white sensitizing applicants on this issue. We will continue to enlighten people on that. We have been arresting touts but it has been difficult to completely wipe the touts out from markets. It is global issue. We will continue to do our best.

“We will always ensure that all Nigerians are treated in a fair and equal manner. Since the process is technology driven, patronizing tout is not necessary” he said.

He disclosed that power failure is still a major issue affecting e-passport. This is because once power goes off in the process of processing the product , you must have to start all over gain” he said.

It would be recalled that the Nigeria Immigration Service launched the e-passport to the Nigerian public on July 27, 2007 when the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr J. C. Ude issued the first citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua with the e-passport at the Presidential Villa, Abuja .

Before now, the Nigeria Immigration Service has rolled out several public enlightenment and mass education to create awareness and sensitize the Nigerian public on the procedural requirements for obtaining the e-passport.

The harmonized ECOWAS Smart electronic passport issued by the Nigerian Immigrations Service is powered by biometric technology in tandem with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) specifications for international travels.

“No recruitment for now”, says Nigerian Immigration Service ...

On 3 April , the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) stated that there was no recruitment going on in the service. It also alerted Nigerians to the activities of a syndicate that is duping job seekers under the pretext of securing employment for them in the service.

A statement by the NIS spokesman, Joachim Olumba, said: “It has been brought to the attention of the management that some self-appointed agents have been swindling people of money under the guise of securing employment for them in the Service”. It had therefore become imperative, the statement said, to inform the public that “there is no recruitment exercise going on in NIS”.

The statement added that: “Before undertaking any recruitment exercise, the Service usually provides adequate information to Nigerians through the print and electronic media. Hence, at no time will recruitment into the Service be a subject of rumour”.

Furthermore, the NIS said it had never charged any fees for its recruitment of personnel, and that it is criminal to make financial demands from Nigerians seeking to join the Service. It therefore urged the public to disregard any information about the purported recruitment and report anyone demanding for money to facilitate employment into the Service, to the nearest Police station or Immigration office.

It urged the public to visit its website at www.immigration.gov.ng for information on recruitment, adding that “any such exercise will certainly be advertised on the portal”.

I want to thank you for this information. Nigeria is for all of us, so I do not see the reason for a Nigerian to pay money before he can get a government job. I believe merit should be an unbiased parameter for getting any government appointment in Nigeria.I believe in Nigeria, I believe in change, I believe in merit. Say No to corruption in any form. Nigeria is for you and I, you can never run away from it; even when you run away, you must surely come back one day. Be wiser than you are now, protect Nigeria’s interest before your personal interest. from Aguigbo Ifeanyi Thanks.

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