Immigration officers collecting #5,000 bribe to issue yellow cards – Gov. Wike
by Peregba Jerry
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has accused some Immigration officials stationed at the airports of collecting N5000 from defaulting visitors to issue them yellow cards.
Wike, who described the act as the height of corruption, called for holistic attitudinal change in the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to effectively tackle the scourge of corruption.
He insisted that the fight against corruption required collective effort of all immigration personnel and Nigerians because of its complexity and endemic nature.
Wike, who was represented by the Secretary to Rivers State Government (SSG), Dr. Tammy Danagogo, spoke at the 2021 sensitisation and enlightenment workshop for officers of the Rivers State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service in Port Harcourt on Friday.
He said since the attitude of immigration personnel at the airports often influenced the perception of foreigners visiting Nigeria, all strategy and mechanism must be deployed to tackle corruption at the immigration service.
Wike described the workshop’s theme, ‘Zero tolerance approach to corruption- A pathway to quality service delivery and attitudinal change,’ as apt in a statement signed by his Special Assistant, Media, Kelvin Ebiri.
He recalled that a foreigner who recently visited the state narrated how immigration personnel at the airport demanded N5000 to issue yellow card to each traveller, who didn’t have the travel document.
He said: “The person was complaining bitterly to me that when they arrived, a desk was created to check whether they had a yellow card. And if you don’t have yellow card, you are expected to pay N5000.
“If you go to Rwanda, they will check your yellow card. But when they check, if you don’t have it, they move you to one corner and they have the doctor that will give you the immunisation before you enter the country.
“But, here, there are no doctors. So if there are no doctors and you won’t quarantine them (visitors), then you let them go. Paying N5000 to collect yellow card is the height of corruption.”
Wike commended the Nigeria Immigration Service for organising the workshop intended to equip its personnel with the requisite knowledge and skill to deliver their mandate, devoid of corruption.
On his part, the Comptroller of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Rivers State Command, Dayo Idowu, noted that poor service delivery and corruption had grave consequences for the development of any society.
He said Nigeria was headed for the precipice before the government in 2000 established the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, (ICPC) and then the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), in 2003 to tackle corruption in the country.
