The Consulate General of Nigeria in New York denied Dr Deborah Olubamiji’s tweet claiming she was berated when she and her family got passports.
On June 16, @DrOlubamiji tweeted that she and her family were insulted at Nigeria House while getting passports.
She said the staff treated them like they didn’t matter and showed inconsistent processes, late arrivals, and a lack of empathy.
The embassy issued a statement to reporters denouncing the charges as untrue and dishonest.
According to the consulate, Olubamiji, her husband, Mr Oluwole Victor Awoyeji, and her toddler daughter came to the 2nd floor of Nigeria House in the afternoon and were greeted at the window by a passport application processor.
“Upon scrutinising the family’s papers supplied by Awoyeji, the family was told that payments paid in respect of the application for the renewal of the two adults’ passports had expired as the applications were made in March 2022.
“It was informed to them that fees for passport applications on the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) passport application platform expire if an applicant does not show themselves for biometrics within a year.
“Thereafter, Olubamiji, in rage screamed invectives at the consular personnel threatening to report to the President of Nigeria, whom she claimed to know personally and cause the staff to lose their employment.
The consulate said her husband was attempting to calm her down, and another staff member heard the ruckus and called Awoyeji.
She told him that his wife’s approach would make the matter worse.
The head of the immigration division entered the hall and saw the consular personnel being yelled at, who stayed cool and did not reply.
The immigration official took the family’s fingerprints and pledged to ask the NIS technical partners in Nigeria to fix the expired payment problem.
The pair followed her to her office on another level. They apologised and thanked her for intervening.
The same-floor receptionist helped them contact the consulate through the switchboard.
The embassy said that Olubamiji did not observe any late workers since they met staff at every counter they visited and were immediately attended to.
It suggested that she felt Biometrics Enrolment Room personnel returning from lunch were merely reporting for the day. However, CCTV evidence from that day disproved this ridiculous claim.
The embassy said that it provides critical consular services, including passports, but technological difficulties like those in the instance under reference can only be rectified from Nigeria.
The sad event may have been averted if Olubamiji had shown this knowledge and not gone the way she did.
“The general public is cordially asked to notice that despite the multiple obstacles, the consulate General of Nigeria, New York, has been making efforts to foster an environment where applicants would get consular services in a prompt, professional, and polite way.
It noted, “It is notable that without the assistance and understanding of applicants, it would be exceedingly impossible to attain these noble aims.
