Another Day of Life in Niger . . . Government Offices

Today, after my Fulfulde lesson, I headed out to Ministry offices of Niger to gather some of my official paperwork. I discovered yesterday that my vehicle registration expired on August 4th - thankfully I was not pulled over in this time!! Normally, this temporary registration is valid for 3 months and I was told to return in mid-October; however, on reading my paperwork yesterday, I discovered that the rules changed and the paperwork expired 1 month after I had received them.

This I discovered when my teammate Paul came to get my paperwork so he could pick up my license plate with his yesterday afternoon (yes, the license plate took 3 months to print!). He headed off to get our license plates but soon called to tell me that I had to take my actual vehicle down so they could rivet the plate to my truck themselves. This makes a modicum of sense - they want to ensure that the plate is going on the actual vehicle that is registered for that plate.

So, as my truck was 'illegal', Brenda drove me down to the Ministry of Transport and Communication. The building itself is a sight to see - as the Ministry is located in a run-down house and there is no parking lot (in fact, parking lots are rare here - so you park your vehicles all over the road and hope that no one hits it - this building is also where the Auto-School students write their exams, so here you really hope that no one hits your vehicle). You then walk around the building and enter from the backside. There is one main building and two smaller buildings on either side of the courtyard:

I went into the first small building where I had been told to renew my registration, and found 1 lady sitting at a desk with a typewriter . . . doing nothing; but, wrong building. I was then directed to the other small building on the other side of the courtyard.

I walked into this building and found one lady sitting at a desk covered with boxes full of these registration forms. The filing system was the floor - piles after piles of file folders covered in dust. Her sole job was to hand out the registration papers that the lady across the courtyard had typed. As my form was incorrect (my vehicle was registered for 5 seats and not 6) . . .

I was directed into the large building to speak with the Director of the Ministry. I explained the problem to him and . . .

was directed back to the first building - where the lady was sitting and waiting . . . still doing nothing. She then whited-out the mistake, typed the number 6, and sent me back to the Director of the Vehicle Registration to verify her correction.

Back to the main building. Now, this Director only has the large stamp; so upon verifying the correction . . .

he sent me down the hall to another guy who has the small stamp. He was not in the office.

My 'escort' searched for the stamp in another room, but did not find it - so I was told to return later with my card:

"maybe tomorrow morning he would be in"

1 gov't office for 1 and naught gained.

Off I head to the second office - Surveillance de la Territoire (Territory Security) - I had applied for my Residence Permit in July and was told to return in 3 months for the permanent card. So now, mid-October, I figured that as I was in the neighbourhood I would stop in and see if it was ready. The gentlemen indicated that it was ready aside from the signature and stamp so I could return at 3 o'clock to receive the paperwork - but I had to leave him my temporary VISA. (I highly suspected that nothing was done, but he waited for 3 months until I came back and then he typed it up - possibly not, but that's my hypothesis!)

2 gov't offices for 2 and naught gained.

So Brenda and I returned to their house after picking up the mail, I recuperated my truck and headed out to get some school supplies (notebooks, pens, highlighters) for my language studies. I also stopped by a bakery to grab some bread (yesterday, she told me whole grain bread would be available today). However, the whole grain bread had not yet been delivered, so she told me to come back after the siesta time - around 4pm.

I stopped for truck gas on the way home and when I arrived, I had enough time to eat lunch and then head over to pick up Paul so he could show me how to find the license plate office.

Plan of Attack:

1. Surveillance de la Territoire for my Residence Permit:
   a. He said come back at 3pm and it was already 2:50.
   b. He had my temporary VISA - so I was technically an illegal alien with no documentation should the police have pulled me over!

2. Ministry of Transportation & Communication:
   a. This office closes at 4pm.

3. Office of the License Plates:
   a. This office is open until 5pm.

First stop, drum roll please, and . . . Success! My Residence Permit card was ready. Woohoo!! I am Resident of Niger! (Literally translated, my Permis de Séjour is Permision to Stay)

1 gov't office for 1 and 1 paper gained!!

We then headed straight through the crazy intersection with no lights (it's a free-for-all: you slowly inch out until your car is far enough in that the opposing directions have to stop for you! - okay, sometimes the lights work. I have seen them on at 9pm when there is no traffic) and over to the Ministry of Transport and Communication (How do those two seem appropriate together??). I was working my way to the counter (there are no lines - you all cram up to the counter, hold your paperwork over the edge and speak loud enough until some takes your form - and then you hope they finish helping you before taking the paperwork of someone else) when I saw a gentleman in the office with the little stamp leaving the building.

I figured I could likely just walk around the side entrance again, so went back to the office of the Director of Vehicle Registration. I explained that the man with the small stamp had not been in that morning and inquired if he was in now. The Director seemed surprised that my form had not been stamped that morning and took it himself - to the room where my escort had looked for the stamp - found the stamp and stamped it himself!

2 gov't offices for 2 and 2 papers gained!!

Can I go 3 for 3?

We drive into the ANNP Parking Lot (WooHoo a Parking Lot, albeit a dirt courtyard!) and line up beside the one vehicle receiving it's license plates. I pass over my papers to a guy outside - the guy who has just washed his hands from a plastic teapot (meaning that he has just gone to the bathroom, washed his hands and wiped them on his t-shirt - though they are still slightly damp). He heads inside to find my plates after offering me a bench-seat in the hallway. He comes out with my license plates - two beautiful matching green plates declaring my vehicle as an ONG (Non-Government Organization) vehicle. I am lucky to have received two matching license plates (much to Paul's jealous surprise as his are not the same shape or size!). They are quickly installed - and thankfully on the bumper where they should be! (Another teammate's plates were installed on the back door of his truck and I did not want mine drilled into the tailgate!).

3 gov't offices for 3 and 3 papers gained!!

Despite having to return to each of the 3 offices 2 times, this is quite the record! (Someone call the Guiness Book of World Records, please!!)

So, as Cecilia says, I am now a Legal Illegal Alien!! My truck is fully and finally completely legalized! And I am happy to have all this paperwork finally complete!

Oh . . . and about the bread? I drove by the bakery after the license plate office at 4:15, and the whole grain bread had still not yet been delivered.

So techncally, I am 3 for 4 . . . but she is going to put 2 loaves aside for me when it comes and I can pick it up tomorrow morning at 11 o'clock after my language class.

Hmmm . . . What will tomorrow hold?