When Will SERVICOM Focus On NIN And Passport Processing?

By Raheemat Adeniran

Ihad an unwholesome experience registering for the compulsory
National Identification Number (NIN) scheme, encountering
overzealousness of persons in positions of authorities, and a
general apathy towards the status quo common among the citizenry. I
was discriminated against on the basis of religion and struggled to
be enrolled. I also escaped entrenched extortion rooted in the
delivery of basic services, often perpetuated by fellow Nigerians
who tend to cash in on delivery of essential services to fellow
Nigerians in dire need of such services.

My journey towards enrolling for the NIN dates back to 2014 when
I filled the online form required as pre-enrollment for the
registration ahead of biometrics data capturing at any National
Identity Management Commission (NIMC) registration center.
Unfortunately I was unable to do the biometrics data capturing due
to long queues of booked participants I often met each time I went
to my most accessible designated NIMC centre located at the Lagos
State University main campus, Ojo, Lagos.

So when the Communications and Digital Economy Minister, Dr. Isa
Pantami, suddenly announced a deadline for linking all active
mobile lines, I simply dismissed it as an empty threat knowing it
will be impossible to achieve within the very short period given. I
relaxed, expecting the worst case scenario should they make good
their promise. I was simply not prepared to spend a whole day at
any of the centres, with the attendant risk of the COVID-19
pandemic. I just could not afford to spend my precious time on such
‘frivolities’ with my challenging lifestyle of managing a career as
an academic with family commitments, while shuttling between two
states, Lagos and Osun, just to maintain some form of balance.

Then came an unusual call on a Saturday from a customer
relations agent of one of the major telecommunication companies in
Nigeria, Globacom (Glo) from the Osogbo centre, inquiring to know
why I failed to subscribe for data the previous month. We chatted
for a while on that. Just before ending the conversation, I
casually asked if Glo was still registering people for the NIN at
its offices. He answered in affirmative and encouraged me to come
to the office the following the week to get it done. Since I was in
Osun state at that time and billed to stay there for the following
week, I decided to try it out.

I arrived the Gloworld outlet at Osogbo around 12 noon on
Tuesday, June 15, 2021and was excited at the limited number of
people on queue for the NIN registration. In less than 30 mins, I
was already next-in-line to the capturing desk. Just then, the
capturing officer turned to me to inform me that I will have to
show my ear for the biometrics capturing exercise, else I will not
be attended to. I am a Muslim woman who wears the Hijab as a
religious obligation and showing off my ear was a not an option for
me. I insisted that he must be mistaken as such denial is against
international best practices which allows the use of such head
coverings on religious grounds.

But he was adamant. He confirmed that as his usual practice and
that anyone who unwilling to comply usually leave unattended.
Shame. I ended up creating a scene insisting I speak to his
superior officer. But he would not budge, claiming the buck stops
at his desk when it comes to data capturing at the center. I
eventually had to leave that day as no one would agree to my
stance. They simply could not understand the drama “just to show my
ear”. But they were wrong; evaluating my defiance from their
narrowed and bias perspective. My insistence is simply a fight for
societal inclusion for Muslim women. I should not be discriminated
upon and denied essential services on the bases of my religion.

As I left the office I called a friend who has ties with hijab
advocacy groups to help report the discrimination I just
experienced. She later linked me up with a senior official at Glo
who called me two days later, on Thrusday, June 17, to inquire
about the incident. He apologised for my treatment at the center
and promised that the issue will be resolved. The Manager of the
Gloworld outlet at Osogbo also called to apologise and assured that
I could visit the centre to get the registration done. He noted he
was not around on the day of my first visit as he would have
resolved the issue in my favour. I agreed to go the following
day.

As a further precaution, I did some little research and found a
NIMC Harmonization and Implementation Committee document online on
Biometrics Standards and Specifications which clearly specify that
“Partial covering of head, without covering the face from forehead
are allowed due to religious reasons”. The clause permitting head
covering is contained in page 16 of the document under subsection
8.7 on “accessories” under Section 8 titled “Enrollment of face
image”.

I was eventually captured by the same man who blatantly refused
claiming the system has been programmed to reject any face image
captured without the ear. He simply arrogated the power to
interpret the guidelines thus denying others like myself the
opportunity to get captured at the centre. Although the manager
assured that he has since been briefed to desist from such
practice, I still witnessed him asking two women in hijabs to show
their ears for the face capturing before my turn.

Then came the next drama regarding the collection of the NIN
slip. I was at the centre again on July 17 with the hand written
slip containing my name and a serial number to trace my NIN. I met
two men by the entrance calling out names from similar slips and
returning the slips to their respective owners with a N200 note. I
was curious. I learnt the names being called were for those whose
NIN were yet to be generated. There were reports of some who had
done the data capturing since May but whose NIN were yet to be
generated.

Afterwards, one of the men started collecting the slip again
from ‘the new comers’, and people simply handed him their slips
with a N200 note. On getting to me, I requested to know what the
money was meant for, and he simply said it was “for checking” if
the NIN had been generated for collection. I told him I would not
pay. He said that was the pre-condition for collection, but that if
the NIN has not been generated the money will be refunded so I
could check back another day.

I did not need any soothsayer to confirm that it was illegal.
Armed with the contact of the outlet Manager, I called him up and
introduced myself. He was quick to intervene. He called me in and
collected the slip from me. Within seconds my NIMC slip, with the
generated NIN, was handed over to me. He apologised again noting
that the men were wrong to have insisted on the N200 as a
pre-condition to getting the slip. He said he just learnt that the
N200 naira being collected was lamination fee for the slip and
confirmed that they should not have insisted on the payment since
it was optional. I left the main hall to meet the others within the
open space in the compound who were aware of my refusal to pay.

They were surprised I had collected the slip and simply
attributed it to my “knowing someone” within. I told them they
could have challenged the decision to pay but they confirmed that
they had no choice than to pay the requested N200 “checking fee”
and another N200 for lamination when the slip is ready for
collection, making a total of N400. I called the attention of the
outlet manager to the anomaly but he insisted the men claimed they
only collect the N200 for the lamination. I chose not to argue
further. Whether N200 or N400, it still did not negate the fact
that those men at the gate chose to cash-in on the situation as is
typical of many such situations when people require essential
services. And as usual, people simply complied without argument,
just to get the required services. It is high time many Nigerians
started to challenge the status quo and ask basic questions.
Though, we may not always get our way, we may at least get the
attention of relevant authorities to the plight of the ordinary
man.

I once evaded such exploitation when I applied for a renewal of
my international passport in 2017. I had recently read two Premium
Times reports on passport racketeering at the Nigerian Immigration
Services (NIS) passport offices nationwide; with the agency’s
official response urging people to directly apply for their
international passports on the NIS website and make the approved
payments online.
The officers were stunned at the NIS passport office in Ibadan
which I had visited to submit the filled application form. It was
evident I was in for a long ordeal. But an official complaint my
husband lodged on the agency official Facebook page fact-tracked
the application process.

• Adeniran is a journalism lecturer at Lagos State University,
School of Communication.

I ended up paying less than N20,000 for my current international
passport while a colleague paid N40,000 for the same offering. You
just begin to wonder if SERVICOM, the agency mandated to ensure
excellent service delivery in the public sector, is still in place
and conscious of service-rendering agencies susceptible to
extortion? One expects thatthe Presidential Advisory Committee
Against Corruption (PACAC) or the Independent Corrupt Practices
Commission, will marshal all possible support for SERVICOM to
combat corrupt practices in public service delivery rather than
concentrate on arresting and arraigning due process violators
alone.

Although making these complaints might just be a drop in the
ocean, it could contribute towards changing the narrative on
officialdom within the country. As evident in my experience with
the international passport application, I ended up being a sort of
“VIP” and was promptly attended to on the directive of then
Passport Control Officer (PCO) at the NIS Ibadan centre based on
order from Abuja. Hence, it became a sort of ‘just treat their
files and let them go with their wahala(meddlesome) while we carry
on with business as usual’. I only pray my next passport renewal
will still not suffer similar ordeal. I however belief that if more
people are aware of their basic rights, and raise their concerns
with relevant authorities, we can gradually begin to change the
narrative towards a better service delivery in this country.

Adeniran is a journalism lectuere at Lagos State University,
School of Communication.

By Raheemat Adeniran

Ihad an unwholesome experience registering for the compulsory
National Identification Number (NIN) scheme, encountering
overzealousness of persons in positions of authorities, and a
general apathy towards the status quo common among the citizenry. I
was discriminated against on the basis of religion and struggled to
be enrolled. I also escaped entrenched extortion rooted in the
delivery of basic services, often perpetuated by fellow Nigerians
who tend to cash in on delivery of essential services to fellow
Nigerians in dire need of such services.

My journey towards enrolling for the NIN dates back to 2014 when
I filled the online form required as pre-enrollment for the
registration ahead of biometrics data capturing at any National
Identity Management Commission (NIMC) registration center.
Unfortunately I was unable to do the biometrics data capturing due
to long queues of booked participants I often met each time I went
to my most accessible designated NIMC centre located at the Lagos
State University main campus, Ojo, Lagos.

So when the Communications and Digital Economy Minister, Dr. Isa
Pantami, suddenly announced a deadline for linking all active
mobile lines, I simply dismissed it as an empty threat knowing it
will be impossible to achieve within the very short period given. I
relaxed, expecting the worst case scenario should they make good
their promise. I was simply not prepared to spend a whole day at
any of the centres, with the attendant risk of the COVID-19
pandemic. I just could not afford to spend my precious time on such
‘frivolities’ with my challenging lifestyle of managing a career as
an academic with family commitments, while shuttling between two
states, Lagos and Osun, just to maintain some form of balance.

Then came an unusual call on a Saturday from a customer
relations agent of one of the major telecommunication companies in
Nigeria, Globacom (Glo) from the Osogbo centre, inquiring to know
why I failed to subscribe for data the previous month. We chatted
for a while on that. Just before ending the conversation, I
casually asked if Glo was still registering people for the NIN at
its offices. He answered in affirmative and encouraged me to come
to the office the following the week to get it done. Since I was in
Osun state at that time and billed to stay there for the following
week, I decided to try it out.

I arrived the Gloworld outlet at Osogbo around 12 noon on
Tuesday, June 15, 2021and was excited at the limited number of
people on queue for the NIN registration. In less than 30 mins, I
was already next-in-line to the capturing desk. Just then, the
capturing officer turned to me to inform me that I will have to
show my ear for the biometrics capturing exercise, else I will not
be attended to. I am a Muslim woman who wears the Hijab as a
religious obligation and showing off my ear was a not an option for
me. I insisted that he must be mistaken as such denial is against
international best practices which allows the use of such head
coverings on religious grounds.

But he was adamant. He confirmed that as his usual practice and
that anyone who unwilling to comply usually leave unattended.
Shame. I ended up creating a scene insisting I speak to his
superior officer. But he would not budge, claiming the buck stops
at his desk when it comes to data capturing at the center. I
eventually had to leave that day as no one would agree to my
stance. They simply could not understand the drama “just to show my
ear”. But they were wrong; evaluating my defiance from their
narrowed and bias perspective. My insistence is simply a fight for
societal inclusion for Muslim women. I should not be discriminated
upon and denied essential services on the bases of my religion.

As I left the office I called a friend who has ties with hijab
advocacy groups to help report the discrimination I just
experienced. She later linked me up with a senior official at Glo
who called me two days later, on Thrusday, June 17, to inquire
about the incident. He apologised for my treatment at the center
and promised that the issue will be resolved. The Manager of the
Gloworld outlet at Osogbo also called to apologise and assured that
I could visit the centre to get the registration done. He noted he
was not around on the day of my first visit as he would have
resolved the issue in my favour. I agreed to go the following
day.

As a further precaution, I did some little research and found a
NIMC Harmonization and Implementation Committee document online on
Biometrics Standards and Specifications which clearly specify that
“Partial covering of head, without covering the face from forehead
are allowed due to religious reasons”. The clause permitting head
covering is contained in page 16 of the document under subsection
8.7 on “accessories” under Section 8 titled “Enrollment of face
image”.

I was eventually captured by the same man who blatantly refused
claiming the system has been programmed to reject any face image
captured without the ear. He simply arrogated the power to
interpret the guidelines thus denying others like myself the
opportunity to get captured at the centre. Although the manager
assured that he has since been briefed to desist from such
practice, I still witnessed him asking two women in hijabs to show
their ears for the face capturing before my turn.

Then came the next drama regarding the collection of the NIN
slip. I was at the centre again on July 17 with the hand written
slip containing my name and a serial number to trace my NIN. I met
two men by the entrance calling out names from similar slips and
returning the slips to their respective owners with a N200 note. I
was curious. I learnt the names being called were for those whose
NIN were yet to be generated. There were reports of some who had
done the data capturing since May but whose NIN were yet to be
generated.

Afterwards, one of the men started collecting the slip again
from ‘the new comers’, and people simply handed him their slips
with a N200 note. On getting to me, I requested to know what the
money was meant for, and he simply said it was “for checking” if
the NIN had been generated for collection. I told him I would not
pay. He said that was the pre-condition for collection, but that if
the NIN has not been generated the money will be refunded so I
could check back another day.

I did not need any soothsayer to confirm that it was illegal.
Armed with the contact of the outlet Manager, I called him up and
introduced myself. He was quick to intervene. He called me in and
collected the slip from me. Within seconds my NIMC slip, with the
generated NIN, was handed over to me. He apologised again noting
that the men were wrong to have insisted on the N200 as a
pre-condition to getting the slip. He said he just learnt that the
N200 naira being collected was lamination fee for the slip and
confirmed that they should not have insisted on the payment since
it was optional. I left the main hall to meet the others within the
open space in the compound who were aware of my refusal to pay.

They were surprised I had collected the slip and simply
attributed it to my “knowing someone” within. I told them they
could have challenged the decision to pay but they confirmed that
they had no choice than to pay the requested N200 “checking fee”
and another N200 for lamination when the slip is ready for
collection, making a total of N400. I called the attention of the
outlet manager to the anomaly but he insisted the men claimed they
only collect the N200 for the lamination. I chose not to argue
further. Whether N200 or N400, it still did not negate the fact
that those men at the gate chose to cash-in on the situation as is
typical of many such situations when people require essential
services. And as usual, people simply complied without argument,
just to get the required services. It is high time many Nigerians
started to challenge the status quo and ask basic questions.
Though, we may not always get our way, we may at least get the
attention of relevant authorities to the plight of the ordinary
man.

I once evaded such exploitation when I applied for a renewal of
my international passport in 2017. I had recently read two Premium
Times reports on passport racketeering at the Nigerian Immigration
Services (NIS) passport offices nationwide; with the agency’s
official response urging people to directly apply for their
international passports on the NIS website and make the approved
payments online.
The officers were stunned at the NIS passport office in Ibadan
which I had visited to submit the filled application form. It was
evident I was in for a long ordeal. But an official complaint my
husband lodged on the agency official Facebook page fact-tracked
the application process.

• Adeniran is a journalism lecturer at Lagos State University,
School of Communication.

I ended up paying less than N20,000 for my current international
passport while a colleague paid N40,000 for the same offering. You
just begin to wonder if SERVICOM, the agency mandated to ensure
excellent service delivery in the public sector, is still in place
and conscious of service-rendering agencies susceptible to
extortion? One expects thatthe Presidential Advisory Committee
Against Corruption (PACAC) or the Independent Corrupt Practices
Commission, will marshal all possible support for SERVICOM to
combat corrupt practices in public service delivery rather than
concentrate on arresting and arraigning due process violators
alone.

Although making these complaints might just be a drop in the
ocean, it could contribute towards changing the narrative on
officialdom within the country. As evident in my experience with
the international passport application, I ended up being a sort of
“VIP” and was promptly attended to on the directive of then
Passport Control Officer (PCO) at the NIS Ibadan centre based on
order from Abuja. Hence, it became a sort of ‘just treat their
files and let them go with their wahala(meddlesome) while we carry
on with business as usual’. I only pray my next passport renewal
will still not suffer similar ordeal. I however belief that if more
people are aware of their basic rights, and raise their concerns
with relevant authorities, we can gradually begin to change the
narrative towards a better service delivery in this country.

Adeniran is a journalism lectuere at Lagos State University,
School of Communication.