Immigration Faces Succession Crisis as Officers to Take over from Jere Due for Retirement

Chinedu Eze

Crisis may be brewing at the headquarters of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Abuja with the retirement of the acting Comptroller General, Isa Idris Jere, as those to succeed him are also due for retirement in the next few weeks, THISDAY learnt yesterday
Jere was last Wednesday, directed by the Governing Board of NIS to proceed on retirement which took effect from April 24, 2023.
 In a memo, the board cited the expiration of the one-year extension of service granted by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), directing the CGI to hand over to the most senior Deputy Comptroller General.

Spokesman of NIS, Tony Akuneme did not response to the calls and WhatsApp messages sent to him by THISDAY to throw more light on these issues.
However, the NIS list of officers and men due for retirement in 2023 made available to THISDAY, revealed that the three Deputy Controllers of Immigration (DCGs) who may succeed Jere are also due for retirement between April and May this year, which is less than six weeks from now.
The first is Mr. Haliru Abdul Mumini Ishaka, who is due to retire on May 6, 2023, while his second in rank, Mrs. Adepoju Carol Wura-ola, would be proceeding for retirement on May 31, 2023. In the same vein, the third in rank among the Deputy Controllers of Immigration, Mr. Muhammed Aminu Muhammed would be due for retirement on April 20, 2023.

There are eight Assistant Controllers General (ACGs) who are also due for retirement or have retired this year and these include: Mr. Asogwa Dominic Obeta, 28 June, 2023; Mrs. Esekhaigbe Angela Obehiaghe, May 10, 2023; Mrs. Inok Elizabeth Inyang, who was due for retirement on March 1, 2023; Mr. Osisanya Olakunle Gabriel, who was due on January 4, 2023; Mrs. Ejiogu Evangeline Chinyere who was due on January 27, 2023; Mrs. Hassan Sadat who would be due on December 12, 2023; Mr. Aliyu Ismaila Abba,  who was due January 13, 2023 and Mr. Abdullahi Usman Musa who was due on March 30, 2023.
NIS officials that spoke to THISDAY on conditions of anonymity, requested that the federal government should appoint an officer that has about two years or more to stay in service in order to avert a crisis in the agency.
They emphasised that there could be internal strife, scheming and scrambling by officers if anyone that would succeed Jere has few weeks to be in service.
They also noted that such scrambling could have adverse effect on the job of those involved and the overall delivery of the Nigeria Immigration Service.
They also called on the federal government to appoint an officer who would sanitise the agency, disclosing that in the last few years a lot of corrupt practices have been taking place in the agency.

“There is serious lacunae in the NIS because the officers that will replace the retired CGI are due for retirement in the next few weeks and this may give rise to crisis so we want to have a clean sweep.
“Give us an officer that has two years or more to spend in service.  We also want somebody that will sanitise and reposition the Service now because corruption has eroded our system and we need somebody that will return the agency to its glorious days,” a senior official told THISDAY.
THISDAY also learnt that corrupt practices which were reported some months ago are still prevalent, as it was alleged that Passport Control Officers (PCOs) pay heavily to be allowed to head passport offices and when they are appointed “they brazenly rip off applicants who are made to pay extra for their passports.”
To obtain a new passport, an applicant is expected to go online at the Nigerian Immigration Service portal and apply, make payment, select the particular passport office and date, but THISDAY learnt that after the application, some applicants could be asked to come for capture within average of three months.
This is because of the high demand of passports by Nigerians, many of whom are leaving the country in the well-known japa syndrome.

THISDAY’s investigations revealed that many applicants who wished to acquire new passports or renew existing ones find it extremely difficult to wait for that period so, they meet canvassers who run business centres around passport offices and who also represent senior Immigration officials
These canvassers act as go-between for Immigration officials and collect money on their behalf and issue passports to these applicants within few days.
THISDAY also learnt that NIS has been striving to reduce the period its takes through the normal process to obtain passport but the demand for passport is increasing every day.

A business man who came to collect passport for his wife and children at the Passport Officer, Festac, Mr. Hillary Eze, told THISDAY that they applied for the passports in November last year but just collected theirs on Friday.
“It took time but we followed due process and it took us almost five months. But we have collected them. We are relieved,” he told THISDAY.
Besides the alleged corruption, some senior officials of NIS accused the retired CGI of not distributing over 200 vehicles he announced was delivered to the agency for distribution to senior officials.

“When he was newly appointed, Jere told us during his welcoming ceremony that over 200 vehicles have been acquired by Immigration for distribution to senior officials of the Service. Where are they now? He has retired and the vehicles have not been distributed to anyone,” he said.

They also accused him of indiscriminate employment without following due process and federal character guidelines.

On the allegations, Akuneme also did not response to the calls and WhatsApp messages sent to him.