By Chris Ihidero
A call came through from the South African High Commission on Tuesday 14th August, 2012. The caller said they had seen my article in which I had accused the high commission of suggesting I was fraudulent by saying that the yellow card I submitted with my visa application was invalid. The caller asked for my details and promised to call back after investigating my claim. Later in the day, I was asked to go for a meeting at the high commission the next day.
I met with two consular officers at the high commission the next day and they highlighted the following as reasons for the claim that my yellow card was invalid:
1. The International Health Regulations, under which yellow fever regulations can be found, was reviewed in 2005; on the cover of my yellow card it still says 1969, which is the original date, before review.
2. Inside the card, in the column where it says ‘Manufacturer and Batch No. of Vaccine’, my card had the batch number, but rather than the name of the manufacturer, it had the country where the vaccine had been made; France.
3. In the column that says ‘Signature and Professional Status of Vaccinator, my yellow card had a signature and a stamp that says Medical officer of Health. The consular officers said it should have been signed by a medical doctor.
4. Finally, in the column that says ‘Official Stamp of Vaccinating Centre,’ my card has a stamp that says ‘Approved Vaccination Centre: Federal Republic of Nigeria.’ According to the consular officers, there should have been a stamp of a specific location where the yellow card was issued.
These, according to them, were the reasons my yellow card was declared invalid. These excuses, in my opinion, were flimsy, at best. I retorted that, while I could understand their reasons from a technical angle, I wasn’t convinced that they couldn’t have done better in handling the whole yellow card issue. If you saw my application and the supporting documents and could see that I wasn’t going on vacation or emigrating, why wasn’t a call made and questions asked about these ‘irregularities’? Besides, my documents were checked and okayed at the visa application centre; why didn’t the checker point out these ‘irregularities’? Why wait till a month after submission to tell me this?
I also pointed out that there was nowhere on the VFS website where the specifics of the approved yellow card can be found. If these factors formed some of the basis for authentication, and these inconsistencies had been noticed over time, why didn’t the high commission instruct the VFS to put on its website what the specifics for the yellow card were? This certainly isn’t an outlandish request, seeing that there is a specific colour of pen you are expected to fill your form in and a specific size of photograph to be attached.
In responding, the consular officers admitted that they could have contacted me to ask for clarification or more information or ask that I provide another yellow card. This, in fact, according to them, is often the case; they just didn’t do it in my case. Concerning better communication with prospective applicants, they explained that they have been working with those responsible for issuing yellow cards at local government offices to enlighten them on the proper way to issue the cards. While I commended them for doing that, I pointed out that the easiest way to make sure that prospective applicants get the right yellow card in the first place is to put the basis for authentication on the VFS site so all applicants know what the requirements are right from the outset. They agreed and promised to do this as soon as possible.
On leaving the high commission, I drove straight to Kosofe Local Government office where I had been vaccinated and showed them the inconsistencies that had been pointed out in the yellow card they issued to me. They admitted that they knew about the review in the regulation but that a lot of cards had been printed with 1969 on the cover and until they exhausted that stock, they couldn’t print a new set with the correct year (2005) on the cover. The other stuff the consular officers pointed out were dismissed by the LG as flimsy excuses by the South African High Commission, insisting that they get these complaints all the time and it’s only the SA high commission that have these issues, as they issue the same cards to people applying for US, UK, and French visas without complaints.
It’s been four days since that meeting, and as I write this piece I’m holding a copy of a yellow card issued at Eti-Osa Local Government. The owner of this card has been issued a visa by the SA High Commission, and has travelled to SA and returned to Nigeria with the same yellow card. Like mine, his card has 1969 on the cover, but is different in the three other areas highlighted above.
As I round off this piece, I have just received the report of a press conference held by the Down Syndrome Foundation of Nigeria, whose delegates to the 2012 World Down Syndrome Congress in Cape Town have been denied visas by the South African High Commission on the basis of invalid yellow cards.
It is perhaps valid to say that it is morning yet on the day of the battle for a lasting solution to the yellow card imbroglio.
11 comments
Chris,
am suprised at your write-up. you are begining to sound
like someone not litrate.
You were probarbly allowed to be heard ‘cos you wrote an
article. whatabout others who had thesame issue and
did not put an article out.
1. Like a typical Nigerian, you fail to resolve an
issue from the root, instead we blame the symptom.
2. The problem is clear. “Issuing Authotity of yellow card.”
If the SA Highh commission already gave a format and
details of what the yellow card should be to the
issuing authority why are they not doing it right?
You should ask yourself that.
3. The SA high commission is not obliged to state on its
website or that of the high commission how a yellow card should
look after its informed issuing authority.
4. you mentioned in your post a card from someone who has
travelled to/back from SA with a yellow card having 1969.
But what you failed to tell us is, when the card was issued.
when the person made the trip etc. Also when did the new
changes come to effect. As far as i know, a yellow
card has a 10yrs life span. I have mine issued in Nigeria
in 2007. I leave in the UK, since 2007 I must have visted SA
about 4 times and not turn back at point of entry.
I suggest adequate research is done before such write-ups.
Wish you the best.
I forget to mention that my card also carries 1969, with
the irregularities your carries.
Eniola,
Thanks for all your comments because I was just about to
point out the same thing to Chris.
To add to what has already been said, an embassy does
not have to call you to ask you questions about why your
documentation is in-correct. All they have to do is send it
back and tell you why they did and what you can do to correct
it.
Nigeria and South-Africa issue is not a simple probs.I fink dis has gone beyond yellow cad or red cad issue.Not long ago they deported some Nigerians at the point of entry and we have so many South-Africa citizens working in Nigeria.Until our Government take a drastic step to curb these they will continue to deprive every Nigeria is/her right,I am in my early 20s and I m still young but I read in history the role Nigeria play during apartheid and how Nigeria donate a huge some of money,scholarship,etc for their citizen.
I usually do not respond to comments made on my articles but I will make an exception with you, Eniola.
1. I see that you took the ‘like a typical Nigerian route…’ It is often the route taken by those who are impotent where engagements are concerned. If you have issues with your being Nigerian; I don’t.
2. I would have thought that by reporting that I went to the local government where I was issued the card immediately after leaving the SA High Commission and pointed out to them the irregularities will show you that I was not blaming the SA High Commission for anything beyond the exchange we had during my meeting with them. My apologies: I should have imagined that I was talking to 6 year-olds who needed me to spoon feed them.
3. If you took time to read the first part of this article (I suppose you will understand that it has a Part 1 as this says Part 2) you would have seen that I said I went to the local government for the first time last year with my aunt who went to collect a yellow card and she traveled with it in Jan/Feb of this year. I also said my friend applied for a visa, didn’t get it and then got a Yellow Card from Eti-Osa LGA and got a visa. I said I ran into him as I left the SA visa centre…what other manner of spoon-feeding do you require?
4. If the issuing authority has it all to do, why is the SA Commission doing the work they are doing with the LGA officers? If they understood that if they just put the specifics on the VFS site, as they have done with what colour to fill forms with, passport size etc, potential applicant will have no more reason to say they didn’t know…how does that not pass your magisterial judgement?
4. Lastly, I did say in the first part that giving a visa or not was the prerogative of the high commission and I had no problem with being denied a visa. I need not say more.
I suggest that you read articles properly before jumping to pedestrian conclusions.
Thanks for your best wishes…same to you.
@Chris- I think the south african embassy should start
recommending hospitals or local government they trust
to Nigerians.
lol..Chris..don’t choke us please.
Where is the spoon feeding in your article? By a huge mile
the writer Eniola has a valid point.
For the records you need not justify yourself if you really
think you article pointed out your comments.
Eniola,
Your last comment shows that you didn’t read the article completely. You approach your argument in a stupid manner…it shows your daftness in debating a discourse on ground. To hell with you, whether you are in UK or not or have traveled to South Africa million times, it is not a reason for you to make such a foolish comment. I am presently in South Africa and I know what it took me to get my last visa to South Africa from the SA mission in Senegal. At that time, I was in Senegal. All the irregularities they pointed out on the yellow fever vaccination documents are the same thing that I have on my own card except for the year of print out yet, I was issued a visa and my card wasn’t even checked when I arrived the Joburg airport.
I think you should understand an argument before opposing or agreeing with it instead of showing your stupidity by commenting.And for your information, it is literate and not litrate, UK fool.
ASA
i know the SA embassy has a ton of problems. i was rejected for the very same reason as chris and i was just as upset. as a medical personnel, i ensured i did the proper thing: i went to uch and got my vaccine done there. so it was done in renowned health facility and signed by a dr. i was rejected. people who applied with me and had paid 1000 naira for a fake card (no vaccine) were awarded. it is upsetting and down right insulting that every other country in this world has granted me visas and south africa chooses to reject me because i did the right thing. lije chris, i would’ve preferred the refusal to have been on reasons that actually made sense.