Minister of interrir
Everyone knows that corruption has become an epidemic and the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is not handling it with levity.
At the inception of the President Buhari administration on 29 May, 2015, he had pledged to fight corruption, which has eaten deep into the very fabric of the country. “We will
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kill corruption or else corruption will kill Nigeria”, Buhari had declared.
During most of his visits outside the country, President Buhari had not hesitated to tell the whole world that his countrymen are corrupt.
Many Nigerians have been critical of Buhari’s utterances, describing them as something that creates fear in the minds of prospective investors, while some of those that have already invested are preparing to fold up their businesses and return home.
Many Nigerians have been critical of Buhari’s utterances, describing them as something that creates fear in the minds of prospective investors, while some of those that have already invested are preparing to fold up their businesses and return home.
Recently at the Seme border in Lagos, two American tourists claimed they were victims of extortion by some members of the Nigerian Immigration Service. They alleged that the NIS officials demanded and collected the sum of N125,000 frm them before they were allowed into the country. The story has been making waves all over the social media, while the NIS authorities are yet to respond.
That evil, corruption, has eaten deep into very fabric of Nigeria and her people, and President Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade is not takling lightly, though it has not endeared him to many. Every sector of the Nigerian economy and even social services have been tagged as being corrupt and this has not exempted the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, especially the passport office located at Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Investigations by Integrityreporters revealed that the officials in charge of passport issuance have, over the years, not been fair to applicants. To put it bluntly, they have been corrupted, either by the desperation of citizens trying to flee their country or by more sinister motives.
Checks by our correspondent revealed that officials in charge of passport issuance have been charging and collecting more money than the official amount stipulated by the Federal Government.
The official rate of a 32-page international passport goes for N18,000, while the 64-page passport goes for N24,000. Further probes revealed that the rate being charged by the officials differ and are higher; ranging from N22,000 for the 32-page version and N50,000 for a 64-page passport.
Some of the applicants seeking to procure an international passport spoke with Integrityreporters. Most of them stated that corruption is rife at the passport office Ikoyi. A female applicant, who craved anonymity, said she was forced to cough out more than the official rate, yet she was yet to get her international passport.
Some of the passport accused one Mr. Kayode Eniolorunda the Deputy Comptroller Immigration/Passport Control Office of allegedly corrupt practices.
They further alleged that Eniolorunda collects an extra five thousand Naira from every passport seeking applicant. He was accused of corruptly enriching himself and called on the country’s anti-corruption agencies to investigate the source of the money he allegedly used in building several houses in the Lekki/Ajah axis of Lagos.
When Integrityreporters contacted Eniolorunda over the accusations, he denied them but was quick to add that he had done his best at the passport office to ensure each applicant gets his or her passport as at when due without delay or favour. He added that lack of proper documentation from Abuja has been the problem of prompt issuance of passports in his office.
He gave an instance where they have over three thousand applicants expecting their passports and one thousand passports were sent from Abuja. In this case, some officials will be involved in sharp practices, and in this case, favouritism, nepotism, bribery and corruption will set in.
Eniolorunda, who we learnt has been transferred a few weeks ago said that he cannot deny the fact that something happened or is happening. He added that though he does not know the extent of corruption involved in the issuance of Nigerian passports in his office, he has not caught any of his officers in the act.
Eniolorunda on his part appealed to his boss in Abuja to address the problem of insufficient passport booklets being currently experienced.
