By Helen Ovbiagele, Woman Editor
Hello Auntie!  This is Susan.
I’m in town,” said a friend’s daughter over the telephone.  She is  studying in the United Kingdom and her mother had told me that she would be here for Christmas.

“Susan, it’s nice to hear your voice at close quarters.  Welcome to the country.  But aren’t you early?  Your mum had told me she was expecting you at Christmas.  What happened?  Winter hasn’t started yet.  Was the cold so much that you decided to take a break early?  Or is your school on early vacation?”

“Auntie, no o o!  I took special permission from school so that I can come change my passport to the e-type.  You know that the government said the old passport is being phased out in December.  One doesn’t know if it’s at the beginning of December or at the end of it, that it will no longer be tenable.”

“I think it’s at the end of December.  It makes sense that the phasing out should coincide with the end of the year, so that there would be no confusion.”

“That was what my dad said, but you know how it is at the airports.  One may get to Heathrow airport in December and  be told that it’s only the e-type that I can travel on.  I didn’t want to take chances, so, I’m here to take the ECOWAS one.  The Christmas trip is off, of course, as I can’t afford another fare for that.”
“Wait a minute, Susan.

Couldn’t you get the new one in London?  All you needed to do was come down from Brighton where you are, stay with one of your cousins, and then go camp at the High Commission until you get the passport.  There have always been reports of foot-dragging and insensitivity there from time immemorial, but I’m sure if you persevere, you’ll be given the new passport.  If they keep seeing your face every day, they’‘ll attend to you.

And anyway, you make the application on-line when you get there.  That means that the time for foot-dragging should be over.”

Susan listened politely while I was telling her  the more convenient solution to the problem, and then she sighed.

“Auntie, I wish things were as straightforward as you’ve just mapped out.  Friends had told me that there’s always a lackadaisical attitude of the staff there, but I thought that with the new method of applying for a passport on line, things would be plain-sailing.  The only problem I foresaw would be the delay in gaining access to a computer.

So, I got into London, went to dump my bag at my cousin’s and made straight for the High Commission as early as I could. The first day, I couldn’t get anywhere.  Members of staff stared at me frostily and were quite unhelpful.

The next day I was told to return in December because there were some issues to be resolved by some members of staff there, before they could start issuing the new passport again.  No one could tell us what these issues are, and who would resolve them.

Someone said something about the machine. Maybe it is the one for taking your picture against your particulars. I really couldn’t say.  Those of us there that day, just left; angry at the system.  ”

“You should have asked to see a high official,” I told Susan. “As a citizen of this country, you have a right to know what the problem is and why it would take about two to three months to resolve it.”

“Ah, auntie, you know the Nigerian factor in everything.  Public officers are too high and mighty to be reached by the common man who doesn’t have long leg.  Which high official would one ask for, and who would go get him or her?  We were totally helpless. Even if we staged a protest there, I doubt if we would have achieved anything.

Some of us just decided that we should make a hop down here to get the new passport.  There are about two or three outlets for getting the new passport here in Lagos, so, we reckoned that we stand a chance of being successful.

Mum and dad agreed with me, so, here I am.  Mum said I should ask you which outlet – Festac or Alagbon Close in Ikoyi – would have less people in the queue.”“

“Susan, I wish I knew the right answer to give you.  My advice is that whichever venue you choose, go there very early when the queue wouldn’t be long yet. Avoid using touts.”

“Alright auntie. The Festac one is the nearest to us, so, I’ll go there.  Wish me good luck, auntie.”

A day after Susan rang to tell me that she had got the passport and was leaving the country, a neighbour whose son is a medical personnel in Australia, told me he was in the country to take the ECOWAS passport.

Another one?  Amazed, I asked to see the young man. I asked him why he couldn’t get it in Australia since there’s a Nigeria High Commission there.

“Auntie, I was told that the machine has broken down and they don’t know when it can be repaired or a new one brought.  I thought it was best to come get it here.”

“All the way from Australia?  That’s a hefty fare.”
“It is, ma.  But what can I do?  I travel frequently in and out of Australia, so, it’s important to me that I have the right passport before the old one is phased out.  I can’t understand why there isn’t a standby machine at this time when many people would be anxious to get the new one before the deadline.”

Exactly!  Over to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the government arm that is responsible for issuing the e-passport!  Why should there be a problem about getting the e-passport in our missions at this time, when the old passport will soon cease to be accepted?

Do we need to showcase abroad, the Nigerian factor of making things difficult for people?
“Well, let’s thank God that the two young people involved didn’t talk about being asked to grease palms before they were issued passports, and it seems it was just cases of lack of preparedness in those missions,” observed a colleague.

Maybe, but we don’t really know the true situation.  Immigration and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs should investigate.