Last week, I made up my mind that I was going to register for my permanent voter’s card because I needed an identification card to retrieve and register my MTN sim card.
I was already panicking because when I went to the MTN office a week before, I was told that someone else had registered my sim card.
How on earth, did that happen? I asked myself! This was a line I lost a month before I went to the office to verify how I could retrieve it but then, this is Nigeria, anything can be expected.
One of the customer care representatives advised me to get a sworn affidavit and an identification card, promising to assist me in getting my line back. I was a little bit relieved, at least I have been promised I could get the line back.
The journey to get my line back began. I was able to get the sworn affidavit in a day, registered for my National identification card but discovered they were more interested in extorting N500 from me for every stage of the enrolment, so in two weeks, they had already taken N1500 from me without still getting the slip I could use for my transactions and other official stuff.
I switched to voters registration, I really needed to get my line back.
The next morning, I woke up as early as 6 am, took my bath and dressed up, hoping I would finish on time before heading for a meeting at my office. Boy! How wrong I was!! I met a crowd on getting to the INEC office around my area. I won’t mention the area for confidential reasons. My village people must be after me. Ordinary ID card ke! They won’t just let me do this and get it over with.
My name on the list was at number 78. Will I go home today? I quickly texted them at the office explaining why I would not be able to make it for the meeting. While I waited patiently for my turn to come, people were just trooping inside the INEC office without permission. It was later that I discovered that those ones paid N1000 for express, meaning going directly to register instead of queuing like others.
12noon, I was still waiting, the queue wasn’t moving. I called one of the INEC staff and told him I needed to re-register or apply for transfer of my voter’s card. He said I would have to pay N1000 for it to be done fast.
At that moment, I was no longer thinking of the “a patient dog eats the fattest bone” figurative expression or that patience is a virtue. I was running out of it, I needed to go back and get my line back at the MTN office, So, I agreed to pay.
He took me in immediately and it was indeed express. Within a twinkle of an eye, I was done with the whole process of getting my temporary voters card.
I came out and saw those who couldn’t afford to bribe still seated outside and waiting patiently for their turn. I wish I had that patience but unfortunately, this is Nigeria.
