The Nigerian High Consulate

I went to get a visa recently as I am due to travel to Lagos...not really knowing what to expect because I really could not figure out much beyond the fact that it was going to cost me £50... seriously - you tell me what is going on either here or here - both of which give us a nice flashback in time on web design.

So - because I do not like to delegate stuff like this to our travel help people... I decided to go it on my own - and just went to the embassy on a nice Friday morning:

They apparently open the doors from 9-12, and then shut to take care of everyone that has shown up that morning. When I arrived and told someone why I was there, I was told to go downstairs, turn left, take a number, and wait for it to be called....sounded easy.

But - when I got downstairs there were a ton of people...and I did not see any tickets...so I looked around for a bit before I saw a deli style dispenser strapped to the wall - so I took a green ticket. I then turned around and saw another dispenser...so I took a white ticket. hmmm.

The line I was waiting for was already on number 83, and my white ticket (this was the correct one) was number 61...which meant I was going to be there for a very long time, as the numbers go up until 99, and then roll to 00, 01...

I asked a few more questions, hung around at the front for a bit until we were all collectively admonished to sit down and wait or else the numbers would never change... so we sat.

The scene was a bit chaotic as no one really knew the process, nor did they know which colour (ugh - I'll never like that spelling) ticket to take, or which desk they were waiting for... I had helped a guy out earlier who had arrived after me, and he waved me over to a free seat next to him (there were not many) - and this was my view:


A few 'tense moments' broke out when various individuals felt like voicing their opinions on the process, the officials, or expressed displeasure over perceived line jumping or other injustices, or wanted to take the rules of the house into their own hands to get people to sit down, out of a particular queue, etc. During one of these moments I had gone up front again (yes - I might have been part of the problem one time) - and a guy was so fed up that he threw his ticket on the floor and stormed out of the room. I saw the ticket sitting there, calmly retrieved it, and went back to my seat. --- It was number 02! super jackpot. the golden ticket! (the guy never came back - so I did not feel bad for advancing 59 spots - and then I did the right thing by giving my friend there my previous ticket, which leapfrogged him up 14 spots).

So - what you do is you wait for your number, go up, show your passport, your application, your introduction letter, pay your £50, and then sit down again and wait for your number to be called again (nowhere in the room are there any instructions).
Then, after what seems like an interminable amount of time (there is no countdown screen for this process...you just wait) you get called up again, and you submit it all to another person, along with a photo, and they ask you a few questions, and then take your passport and tell you to come back in 48 hours to get your visa.... wait. this was Friday, and I had a flight to Tel Aviv on Saturday night... and the woman behind the glass did not care.

It felt like a Seinfeld episode...
"Next! number 03"
me:wait - I'm travelling tomorrow
"Next! number 03!"
me:I need my passport
"You cannot have it - it takes 48 hours -come back Tuesday"
me:I can't - I'm going to be in Israel on Tuesday, and I need that passport to get there (it was just sitting there, on a stack of 20 or so others, behind an inch of glass/plastic)
"No, it has to stay here - number 03!"
me:no, it cannot stay here - I need it...

This went on for a bit until a guy came over behind the glass to see what was up... he asked if I wanted to rescind my application, and I said yes, if that was going to get me my passport back - I then formally rescind my application.

Then the original guy that had processed my application and £50 came over and asked what was going on...he then took my passport, application, etc and motioned to me to go back to his station where I after some behind the glass deliberation I was told that for another £20 they'd hold my application until I was able to come back in.

It took me about .8 seconds to agree that this £20 was well worth not having to go through the ticket ordeal again... so I left, and enjoyed talking about the experience for the rest of the day - I thoroughly enjoyed myself down in that room (except for the near fight parts and the time I got yelled at for videoing it (even though others were too)) - and I'm not going to post that here... just in case... and I think that ticket fortune saved me maybe two hours.


so I am going back tomorrow to continue the process.