Controller of Immigration Service (CIS) Usman Musa Abdullahi, Pcc, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, has served in many formations cutting across the country’s air borders, land borders and the international airport where he was recently awarded NAOSNP’s Comptroller of Immigration of the Year. In this exclusive chat with THERESA MOSES, Usman talks extensively about his perception of negativity, advice to Nigerians with regards to human trafficking, challenges and more.
How do you perceive negativity?
We want the public to tell us what we are supposed to do that we are not doing so that we should wake up there. We are not perfect; we are human beings and have our own limits. We want to be aware of our public limitation so that we can see whether we can improve and do better. Whenever there are positives, positives, there must be negatives. Am interested in negativity to see how we can work even better and move on. By the time you come across our positives, please tell us our negativity too; let me take the challenge and move on.
It’s rare for senior officers to be told of their negativity, it’s surprising to hear it from you. Sir, can you tell us why?
Like I’ve told you earlier, it’s a privilege to serve humanity. It’s not everybody that has that calling. If you have that calling to service humanity, serve it in total. Whatever you are doing, there’s nothing new there. It might only be new to you at that moment. There’s no perfect human being, only Almighty. So, in my own view, if I must count the development, it’s to overcome the negativity that’s all. I’m out to be aware of the negativity, let’s work on it and see how we can fix it. Then I call it plus. That’s my own view. And whenever there are challenges, don’t run away from them, face it. If you don’t face it, it will weigh you down. Then you should be very lucky to have people that are watching you and you gave the guide and move ahead. That’s what I call development.
What’s your advice to Nigerians on human trafficking?
It’s deception, quick money. That’s it. Otherwise, there’s no street in this country that doesn’t have gold. First to make it quick is the issue. The one that is opportune to come back, when they run down their stories, all your tears will finish. That’s why it’s called practical experience. Whatever we are telling them here, they don’t listen because their mindset is already there. But those kind of people by our profession we are able to discover that there are elements of trafficking, we advise them and counsel them in the airport auditorium, the same hall that will stamp those that will receive the returnee is the same hall that will stamp those that have returned, very many of them; they hear their own language. Most of the time, they even come from the same clan, the same village. It makes our job easier for them to pass the message across to them. To the best of our ability, those ones that were planning to travel, we advise them not to go; it takes us quite a time to convince them. But within a short time, they now realise oh and begin to sing praises.
Some will come with their parents and their parents will plead with us. We will still talk to them in line with the rules. We are not saying no negativity; but the same reasons why you shouldn’t go. How can you go for an employment outside this country you never knew the kind of employment it is? How can you leave this country without knowing where you’re going to? It’s not done. For example, some of the flights are connecting flights to long destination. The first flight here maybe someone going to Dubai, you now follow Egypt Air. When we are asking the person, he/she will say he’s going to Egypt but the visa is Dubai. Is it not enough to see that there’s lack of information.
Very many people go out of this country in that area because they don’t have information of where they are going to. All what they are after is when we get there we are going to make it. Where are you going to make it? They don’t know. In our control post here, we always guide them, counsel them, and advise them. Naturally, if there’s an influential person that visits you, won’t you give the person a VIP treatment? But when you see someone that wants to eat from you, will you be happy with him? No, it’s like that. If you have to travel, you must have something that’s attractive so that the host country can give you a VIP treatment. But when you appear needy, who will even receive you? We continue to tell our people and encourage them to look inwards. There’s no street that doesn’t have gold in this country, all depends on how you harness it. Simple! There’s no place like home.
What are your other challenges as Controller of Immigration?
The one I said is one of the challenges: for people to understand issues in the same place with us. Someone is travelling out of this country and not prepared. Some doesn’t know that they are not prepared. We let them know that they are not prepared. Some knew but still want to go by all means. It’s not done. Migration in general has a rule. It’s vital for some of them to understand the rule and that’s our job. That’s why we enforce, when you don’t know we let you know. We do not coarse! There’s a difference between A and B, its information. We give you information.
We try the best we could to make sure the right people come into this country; and the right people leave this country; that’s our judgment here. We look at the central issue around security, the economy, then as relates to transparency. You’re coming in and going out: Is it to the interest of the country, whole world? If yes, then you’re good to go. And whatever interaction we do, we do with transparency, not hidden. Once you answer these questions, you’re done with Immigration and free to go.
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