August 11, (THEWILL) – As the first organisation that most travellers entering the country interact with officially, the Nigeria Immigration Service is more than an image maker. Its portfolio is so large that only a bad official will trifle with it. More so, when that official is of the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Immigration II, ASI. And the area of operation is one of the busiest international gateways to the country, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
So when an official, an ASI for that matter, was caught in a viral video titled “This is how Immigration officers treat tourists in Nigeria”, soliciting financial gratification from a traveller, it looked like similar videos that derided the NIS in the past. The saviour this time is that the NIS reacted swiftly by suspending the culprit identified in the video; ASI 2, Okpravero C. Ufuoma.
The traveller had unknowingly captured him, using camera-enabled eyeglasses, soliciting money while on duty. The NIS, in a statement on its X handle on Thursday, condemned Ufuoma’s alleged misconduct in very strong terms.
The statement, which was e-signed by the Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service, K. N. Nandap, and dated August 7, acknowledged that the NIS received the video, identified the culprit, condemned his misconduct, which “does not reflect the values and ethics of professionalism upheld by the NIS, as it undermines the ongoing reforms aimed at enhancing our service standards.” This disgraceful act, it said, is not representative of “our commitment to hospitality, reception, and courtesy.”
It went ahead to remind the public that electronic gates (e-gates) are being installed at all of the country’s international airports to facilitate smoother travel for all passengers, particularly Nigerians.
This measure, it claimed, aims to prevent incidents like the one involving Okpravero Ufuoma, who has been suspended indefinitely, pending the outcome of disciplinary procedures, which are in accordance with the law and Public Service Rules.
“The NIS reiterates its commitment to identifying and removing corrupt elements within its ranks, in line with our Zero-Tolerance for Corruption policy.” Indeed, the functions of the NIS, as earlier mentioned, are so large and reflective of the country’s image that it should no longer be treated with levity, either by its officials or the authorities.
For the avoidance of doubt, the NIS functions as spelt out in its books are governed by the Immigration Act, 1963, CAP II Laws of the Federation 2004 which include the control of entry into and departure from Nigeria and monitoring of non-Nigerians in the country, implementation of Nigeria’s extant visa regime, execution of deportation and repatriation orders, manning all the nation’s border posts (land, sea and air), issuance and control of all travel documents, determination of refugees and asylum seeker, implementation of various treaties (bilateral, multilateral) entered into by Nigeria with other countries, anti-Human trafficking activities, border patrol and surveillance, recommendation of Non-Nigerians requiring citizenship or naturalisation to the Minister of Interior.
We hope the NIS boss will do as she has promised in the statement about Ufuoma; not just stopping the investigation and applying disciplinary measures but also carrying out a thorough overhaul of the now proverbial corrupt system that currently prevails in the place. There are many Ufuomas in the system. They need to be fished out and dealt with in the most indiscreet manner.
This is not the first time videos of such nature have surfaced in the past, though not under the current leadership. But, now that she has vowed to clean up the place, we urge her to do so without sentiment.
In this age of social media, the current video about Ufuoma’s action is not just damaging to the NIS but also to the citizenry, no thanks to the global perception index on corruption that ranks Nigeria 145 out of 180 countries and scores her 25 out of 100 points in the recently launched 2023 Corruption Perception Index, published by Transparency International Nigeria in January, 2024.
Finally, we urge the NIS to make the outcome of their investigation public. This will serve to whip personnel into line and send a message that an important organisation like the NIS is involved in getting rid of bad eggs in its ranks.
