Acting Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Adepoju Wuraola say her recent appointment ”na by di discretion of di president, na appointment no be by promotion”.
For exclusive interview wit BBC Pidgin, she clear di air about her appointment afta one Abuja based lawyer bin challenge di federal goment say dem appoint her even though she don reach retirment age.
Adepoju begin work as di oga of NIS on 30 May, 2023, just one day before her retirement.
She tok say as at di time wen di former oga comot for office, na she be di most senior officer for immigration and dem hand over to am.
For kwesion weda e no mata say she suppose retire di next day afta she gbab di CG appointment, Adepoju say “di two comptroller generals wey dey bifo me, bin dey office for period of over 15 months respectively afta dia retirement.
“Just like di IG of police, di position na for di discretion of di president, na appointment, more or less political appointment.”
She touch on different tins wey include mago-mago for passport offices, human trafficking and border security.
‘Corruption for passport offices’
For many Nigerians, di process of getting either new international passports or renewal na wetin dem dey see as big palava wey require ‘spiritual intervention’ or rubbing hands wit officers for passport office.
While plenti dey always para ontop how di officers of di Immigration Service dey operate wen e come to passport issuance, some dey hail dem say dem dey try.
She tok say she sabi di kain hardship wey Nigerians dey go through wen dem wan get passport especially wit di way pipo dey japa.
“I wan make sure say I overcome all dis problems wey Nigerians dey face sake of dem wan gbab passport”.
Madam Adepoju say make pipo dey apply for passport at least six months before dia passport expire for online – for dos wey wan do renewal- so dem no go expose demselves to pipo wey go cheat dem.
She advise make pipo no dey patronise tout, while di immigration dey try eliminate wuru-wuru process to get passport.
Adepoju say to comot corrupt pipo for di service, Nigerians go need to dey report dem for action.
”Nigerian passport by ICAO standard na one of di most advanced for security features.” Adepoju add.
‘We go flush out bad eggs’
On weda she sabi say some immigration officials dey encourage corrupt practice ontop passport mata, Adepoju say every society get dia own bad eggs but NIS don declare state of emergency on passport application process in Nigeria.
She say di office go beam dia searchlight on those bad eggs and she go remove dem from dia offices.
Di Acting CG say dem dey do everytin wey possible to comot bad egg from di system.
“I go beam my search light on all passport control officers wey dey give Nigerian immigration service bad name, I go remove dem, we go post di best.
Dis ones go be di well trained ones wey dey motivated, pipo wit beta character,” she add.
She also add say from now on, passport application centres go dey for care of pipo wey get good records for di immigration service.
BBC bin try ask di immigration oga how she wan manage di fact say pipo no go fit tell am true if anybodi ask dem for moni.
Adepoju ansa say she go give new strength to NIS public relations section wia she go fit display contact informate of all di PR pesins wey dey dia.
”So pipo go fit contact dem in case dem get issue. Also di contact of immigration tok tok pesins go also dey available for open.
“We also get one call centre wey dey take complaints from pipo 24 hours, I go make sure say all dis work so dat Nigerians go get di opportunity to express dia injustice”, Adepoju tok.
Human trafficking and migration gbege
Adepoju say anoda tin be say Nigerians sabi immigration for one tin wey be to issue passport but no be di only tin wey dem dey do be dat.
She say she get mind to work wit sister agency like NAPTIP to prevent di struggling of migrant and trafficking pipo.
“I dey aware of di loss of lives of young and able bodied Nigerians and wetin dem dey experience for di dangerous trans Sahara roads to cross di Mediterranean”.
Di immigration oga add say dem go use both technology and personnel to secure borders.
Adepoju also tok say Immigration dey ready to tackle bad pipo wey dey traffic pesins go abroad.
“Secure border na secure nation”, Adepoju add.
