There are three types of passports. They are the ordinary passport, which is the e-passport, the official passport and the diplomatic passport. The Diplomatic passport is usually issued to diplomats, diplomatic representatives and other staff who are representatives of their countries in foreign countries. This is not to say individuals cannot apply for it provided they can meet the criteria, which can confer such privilege on them. There are agencies which can help individuals to get the diplomatic passports. Holders of diplomatic passports enjoy many benefits as a result of agreement reached at the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations in 1961.
However, policies on diplomatic courtesy vary from country to country. In other words, some countries have adjusted the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations to suit their purposes. As a general rule, holders of diplomatic passports enjoy the privileges and immunities granted by the convention, their homes and offices are usually designated as a consulate and, therefore, inviolable, they may display “CC” (Corps Consulate) on the number-plates of their cars so that their status is known to security forces who may flag them down on the roads.
When holders of diplomatic passports are travelling, they may use diplomatic channels at airports, which automatically save them from time delaying and irritant checks at customs’ duty posts or any other post, they are exempted from all forms of tax on any income in the host country, receive free upgrades from many airline to First/Business class at the check-in desks. The benefits of a diplomatic passport also include duty free on drinks, cigarettes and other supplies bought by a consulate.
Top restaurants, hotels, clubs, which may claim they have been fully booked, may go out of their way to find reservations for holders of such passports, holders may receive numerous invitations to royal/diplomatic and society parties and events.
Ultimately, it boosts holders’ business success as well as their social status and prestige. We recall that shortly after the government of late president Umaru Yar’Adua was inaugurated, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs between July and September 2007 expressed concern over the non-return of diplomatic passports by the majority of government officials who served with the immediate past government of Olusegun Obasanjo.
The then ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said apart from Mallam Nasir el-Rufai who returned his, no fewer than 200 others held on to theirs despite all entreaties and diplomacy employed by the ministry to ensure they returned their diplomatic passports. Ordinarily, the ministry needed not appeal to them to return those passports since they no longer enjoyed the paraphernalia of office that qualified them to savour the privilege.
This was a clear breach of consular regulations and official privilege. Unfortunately, the same abuse of privilege has reared its ugly head again this year. The Federal Government had in August raised the alarm that some Nigerians who were not entitled to hold diplomatic passports were still in possession of such documents and asked them to return them. We observe that after failure by the affected people to return the documents, the government issued a statement announcing their withdrawal.
The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mr. Martins Kure Abeshi, in a statement listed the category of people whose diplomatic passports have been withdrawn as all former state governors, senators, members of the House of Representatives and their counterparts in the state assemblies. Others are ministers, commissioners, special advisers and assistants, local government chairmen and their deputies, all retired heads of parastatals and retired public servants.
“These categories of persons are hereby informed that these passports which were previously held by them have been revoked and should return them to the Nigeria Immigration Service headquarters, Sauka, Abuja, immediately,” Abeshi said. Since diplomatic passport is not an inheritance, we support the government’s move. The ministry had told them to return and they have no choice but to obey since they no longer enjoy the privileges of offices which qualified them to have the documents in the first place.
There should be no controversy about returning those passports. Why will lawmakers, ministers, commissioners, personal assistants, special advisers, local government chairmen and their deputies get diplomatic passports since they are not diplomats? We believe these categories of people did not apply as individuals.
This is an aberration. What they should have been given are the official passports and not the diplomatic ones. Having diplomatic passport as status symbol has led to abuse and this explains why those issued in Nigeria are no longer being respected by some countries abroad. We should avoid any situation that can lead to embarrassment in diplomatic circle. We support government’s stand that errant officials who fail to return their diplomatic passports should be prosecuted under the Immigration Act 2015 to serve as a deterrent to others.
