According to Vanguardngr. Activities at the Immigration office in Festac unit, Lagos have always been considered a difficult and stressful process.
Due to the large number of Nigerians, young and old, seeking opportunities abroad, the Nigeria Immigration offices have been inundated with applications from citizens.
This unprecedented demand has led to wide public outcry for better treatment of visitors to their offices.
Unfortunately, the experiences of foreigners in many of their offices are far from what is obtainable in other countries of the world.
Recently, however, a visit to the Immigration office in Festac unit turned out to be a different scenario from past experiences.
Upon arrival, touts were observed hovering around the main gate soliciting payment for extraneous services, such as parking.
After navigating through this challenge, visitors were then faced with the dilemma of which office to go to.
As a journalist, the immediate point of call should be the office of the Public Relations Officer.
Unfortunately, the officer in this case was more concerned with piles of files from fellow workers in Vanguard than the visitor's mission and how to help.
Despite the strained relationship between professional colleagues and Public Relations Officers generally, the officer in charge disregarded the visitor's presence.
The visitor was seeking help for an aged landlady who needed medical treatment in the United Kingdom.
The landlady had visited the Immigration office the previous year to renew her passport, which was captured in February.
After waiting patiently for the new passport, it had not yet been issued, and the date for the landlady's medical appointment overseas was fast approaching.
Unfortunately, her attempts to appeal for urgent treatment fell on deaf ears, and she was rudely told that her passport was dented and must be rectified in faraway Abuja.
The journalist's intervention gave the landlady high hopes of survival, and a visit to the Immigration office was hoped to resolve the situation.
However, the officer in charge was unresponsive, and the visitor's call to one of their Deputy Controllers in Abuja was the only hope left.
Fortunately, the Deputy Controller directed the visitor to the new Passport Control Officer in charge of the unit.
The meeting with the new PCO turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
As soon as the visitor was ushered into his vast and well-furnished office alongside four other visitors with their various problems, the PCO treated ladies first.
This friendly gesture raised hopes and lifted the spirits of the visitors, who had been used to a different, more challenging experience at the Immigration office.
The PCO, who had just assumed duties in the unit after his predecessor was posted out, diligently listened to the visitors' complaints with candor and humility.
He also lectured the visitors calmly on areas where he thought they were making wrong assumptions and ended up rekindling their hopes of a better Immigration service in the country.
Notably, he dealt with any complaint bordering on extortion or unruliness seriously and wasted no time in jotting down the name of the officer alleged to have perpetrated the act with his number.
Overall, the visit to the Immigration office in Festac unit, Lagos turned out to be a positive experience, thanks to the new PCO.
His demeanor and willingness to listen and address the visitors' concerns raised hopes of a better future for the Nigeria Immigration service.
Content created and supplied by: smarthusstle (via Opera News )
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