AWESOME SERVICE DELIVERY AT THE NIGERIAN HIGH COMMISSION IN OTTAWA,CANADA

I am writing this piece to share my experience at the Nigerian High Commission,Ottawa regarding the renewal of my Nigerian passport.

Prior to the time i made the trip to Ottawa from Vancouver,i tried to find out from fellow Nigerians about the whole process of renewing a Nigerian passport and i heard various opinions,most of which were negative so i was prepared for the worst not knowing that things were not exactly the same as i heard.

My direct flight from Vancouver to Ottawa via Air Canada was cancelled on the fateful day so i got the airline to put me on a plane to Toronto where i boarded another one to Ottawa.I was initially meant to get to Ottawa around 7am but the change in itinerary totally disrupted all my plans so i landed in Ottawa around 2:45pm.I took a taxi to the Nigerian High Commission and got there around 3:30pm.The truth is that i was scared i would be refused entry or unattended to because of the negative reports i heard but to my greatest surprise,i was allowed in.The receptionist verified my documents,my finger-prints were collected and my photo was taken.While i was having all these done,i met the Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada,Chief Ojo Maduekwe C.F.R.

A conversation ensued from our meeting as the High Commissioner asked if i was well attended to and i told him how satisfied i was with the treatment i got.He then talked about his plans to make sure the High Commission is the best amongst all Nigerian High Commissions in the world through excellent service delivery that would be stress free and not too long after that left for the appointment he had.

What thrilled me was the humility,commitment and care showed by Chief Ojo Maduekwe.I remember watching a youtube video where he was confronted by Omoyele Showore of saharareporters,New York.The video made me think he(Chief Ojo) was one of the Nigerian office holders who had no commitment to their offices but my experience with him changed everything entirely.I can categorically tell you that Chief Ojo Maduekwe is one of the coolest people you will ever meet.He talked to me just like a Father.

Let's go back to when i started making plans to renew my Nigerian passport.I went online to check the steps of renewing a Nigerian passport in Canada and on the website of the Nigerian High Commission,i found the simple guidelines which i followed before booking my trip to Ottawa en route Air Canada.The purpose of saying this is to point out the fact that the interview date which the website generated for me was not a good one so i called the High Commission to change the date and the receptionist had no problem doing that for me.Now,that's good service...

I am using this medium to thank all the representatives of Nigeria at the Nigerian High Commission,Ottawa and to say i am proud of you all.

Mrs Helen Onwuzulike,the Immigration Attache at the High Commission worked on our passports and we all got them same day between 5:30pm and 5:45pm.She is just the kind of Nigerian i would recommend for any top position because contrary to the negative reports i heard about the Nigerian High Commission in Ottawa,she orchestrated an awesome service delivery to the satisfaction of all the Nigerians that were there to get their passports on that day.

Having said all these,i think the Nigerian government should consider opening up one or more High Commissions in other Canadian cities because it costs a lot to fly to Ottawa.

Other than that,big shout out to the employees/representatives of the Nigerian High Commission in Ottawa,Canada !!!

B.O Dawodu
www.larryjdl.com
British Columbia,Ca