Moses

I have been screaming “Omo!!” in disbelief! Nigeria has left me in total shock! WITHOUT LEAVING MY HOUSE, PASSPORT WAS PRODUCED IN TWO DAYS AND DELIVERED TO MY DOOR! 😱 Here’s the gist. I randomly realized that the Nigerian passport of someone VERY CLOSE to me was expiring in a few months time and we needed to get it renewed ASAP. So I took on the responsibility to get it done. I started contacting a few folks to see if they had any “connect” at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington DC or the Consulate in Atlanta, GA, because I’ve always dreaded the thoughts of renewing a Nigerian passport due to many gory stories I’ve heard about the process.🥶 Anyways, I got a few advice on what to do/some connects as well. But what stood out to me? A couple of folks said they renewed their passports without leaving their houses and got it done and sent to them in 1-3 months. Ehn!! Of course I’ve read some good stories online but as with our dear Nigeria - “seeing is believing.”😏 After much agitation, fear and doubt, we decided to use the contactless renewal system. We filled the application online, took the biometrics with our phone, uploaded a passport photograph and boom! Payment time! I was like “God Abeg o - I no get time to go fight with anybody for that office o” 😣🤣 We paid $230 for booklet fee and $100 for contactless fee (PS: there’s a $50 money order to be paid too). We sent the old passport to the Nigerian Consulate in Atlanta, Georgia and USPS showed that it arrived there 3 days later. After some days, I went to check the tracking number, it was still processing but no sign of the new booklet being shipped to me yet. Yesterday! I checked the application online portal, to my surprise, it was on the last step. I saw: “✅ Passport Produced, Ready for Collection” and last step “✅Passport Issued/Collected”… I didn’t believe it and I told myself it must be an error because that was way too quick 😂 was like ahh! Let me check the USPS Mail Tracking code first … Lo and behold! It showed that the Passport will be delivered to my house that same day by evening. I first shouted “What!!” “How”! I was in disbelief because it was too fast and too hassle-free to be true! Something that you’d need to pay bri^e and wait almost for eternity to get? And now, it’s showing I will get it so quickly without leaving my house or paying anyone? Wait for the biggest shocker! Being curious, I checked the tracking history, and I saw that the passport was produced in only 2 DAYS after my shipped file of money order and old passport arrived the Atlanta Consulate and on the third day it was given to USPS to send to my house. And USPS delivered the old and new passports to my house safely, as seen in the photo. So, I know we’re quick to criticize Government but this is me giving you your flowers, Honourable minister, @BTOofficial and the @nigimmigration. I hope that other public services will be as efficient as this and that bad eggs won’t spoil this good work. Nigeria must be great! 🇳🇬