Travelling
out of Nigeria presents another layer of experience of how corruption
has eaten deep into the fabric of agencies responsible for facilitating
air travel at our nation’s international borders.
This
time, my encounter with the officials of the Nigeria Immigration
Service and sundry agencies at the Murtala Muhammed International
Airport in Lagos last week was a harrowing experience. I saw the brazen
manner at which they coerce, solicit, persuade and even harass Nigerian
and foreign travellers and visitors to part with money or other
valuables. It is sickening and saddening to see immigration officers
shamelessly solicit for bribes without respect for their uniform. What
is happening at our international airports is a national disgrace.
As
I observed their desperation and shameless activities, a few questions
came to mind: Why are these officials so shameless as to not realise
that by being at an international airport, they represent the face of
our country? Do they not realise that they are the first point of
contact for any visitor coming into our country? What impression will
foreigners have of our country when immigration officers harass people
and demand bribes openly without shame? Can they not at least respect
their uniform?
But no, officers of the NIS, the Nigerian Police,
the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and other sundry bodies at the
airport do not seem to care the damage they are doing to our country’s
image. The mess at the MMIA, in particular, is so brazen that it filled
me with revulsion. As the reality of the rot confronted me, I was too
ashamed to be a Nigerian. As I beheld their dishonest activities, I,
ironically, even felt shame on their behalf. Unfortunately, it seems
they have lost their moral values. As they engage in their disgraceful
act, they do not even care if they are being watched.
On the day
that I travelled to Nairobi, Kenya, for this year’s CNN African
Journalist of the Year awards, I saw why Nigeria is regarded as one of
the most corrupt countries on earth. Corruption has eaten so deep into
our country that it will take an unprecedented incident to rid us of the
cankerworm. What is happening at the MMIA is the true picture of who we
are as a people.
I arrived at the airport early to begin the
process of checking-in. At the airport, my ordeal began at the entrance
to the Departure Lounge. I alighted into the waiting hands of every
manner of officials–immigration, police, customs, NSCDC and others
posted to ensure free flow of traffic. Then, the extortion began. “Fine
guy, where you dey go? Nah America or UK? Abeg find us ‘something.’ Your
boys dey hungry!” Imagine elderly men calling themselves “boys” because
of a few tips. As you wonder why it was any of their concern to know
your destination, they surround you, blocking your way and continue to
harass you for money. As I was being pestered, a few of them chased
after a white lady like a vulture after a carcass. She ignored them. One
man threw a few naira notes on the ground, the way an alm giver drops
for a beggar, as he hurried off. They scrambled for it like street
urchins.
Their demand for money was intimidating – bordering on
harassment. Add this to the trouble you have to go through as you
grapple with your luggage, then you will understand the chaotic
situation outside the Departure Lounge. As you manage to beat the first
checkpoint, you approach the entrance to the Lounge only to be
confronted by another set of police, NDLEA, immigration, Customs
officers who have set up another “checkpoint” to extort money from
travellers. These ones are more forceful. They want money and want it
fast. They even demand foreign currencies. They ask you to give them
“anything” including your valuables. Meanwhile, a guy was kept on the
side who was pleading that he be let in. He had no money. The mobile
policeman told him to part with his wristwatch! It was incredible! The
young man was shocked. As you manage to beat the second toll point, you
begin the process of checking in your luggage. That also comes with
another demand for bribes. One hefty guy at the Kenya Airways counter
who frisked my luggage stopped midway to demand that I “settle” him. I
told him I had no money on me. His countenance changed immediately like
one who saw a ghost. He said I must find him something because every
other passenger did the same. I stood my ground. He softened his
position when he saw I was not ready to play ball. He grudgingly
released my luggage.
After I completed the checking-in, I
loitered around for a while to “kill time” before I began the final
boarding process. I surveyed the airport. The chaos at the complex was
indescribable. The Departure Lounge was bedlam – disorderly like Oshodi
market of old. Outside, people milled around the place freely. They had
no form of identification. Inside the lounge was even more chaotic. It
was unbearably hot. The cooling system did not work that day. I have no
way of knowing if it actually works at all any day. When it was time to
begin the final checks, I proceeded to the immigration point. The
immigration officer who stood at the first screening point demanded to
see my passport. I handed it over. He barely looked at it but yet held
on to it. “Oya, find me something”, with the tone of a bandit poised to
kill if not obliged.
I told him I didn’t have any money on me. He
probed further. I parried his questions. When he saw I won’t budge, he
handed me my passport. Then, came the next point, where the two
immigration ladies pointedly demanded money before they could stamp my
passport. They kept smiling as they held on to the passport. I refused
to part with any money. Then, their faces dissolved into a frown. They
handed me the passport. “Oga, you be miser o”, they both chorused. I did
not answer them. I observed an elaborately dressed woman squeeze some
money into the hand of a pot-bellied immigration officer nearby. He
hailed the “Alhaja” and wished her a safe journey. He did not care that
people were watching. When I got to him, he insisted I gave him some
money. He said travelling abroad is a privilege. That I should consider
myself lucky. I told him I was not a first time traveller. But he still
insisted. This time I was cornered. To hold him off, I told him I am not
carrying Nigerian currency.
He said it doesn’t matter. “I take
dollars, pound or Euro, even Japanese Yen. Which one are you carrying?’’
He inquired. Again, I deliberately delayed. When he saw I was wasting
his time. He hissed, stamped my passport and waved me off. I soon
discovered that the demand for bribes increased with intensity as you
neared boarding. Finally, I made it through the last check. It was
excruciating. The extortion at the airport is a shame – a national
embarrassment.
My advice to travellers: Do not give a bribe to
any pestering airport official if you are asked. We must all discourage
any act that is a clear dent on our country’s image. By contrast, at the
Julius Nyerere Airport in Tanzania, the mostly young Immigration
officers checked my passport, stamped it, smiled and told me to enjoy my
stay. No bribe, no harassment for money. Why are we so corrupt?
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