Kingsley Moghalu recently shared a story on LinkedIn that highlights a tension many Nigerians know all too well — the balance between familiarity, privilege, and personal privacy.
“My daughter, who lives abroad, was traveling back out of Nigeria this morning when, at the immigration post at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, the immigration officials looked at her passport and, seeing her surname, asked if she was my daughter,” Moghalu recounted.
“She felt her privacy was invaded, and replied, ‘No, this is a common name in the Southeast [of Nigeria].’ They disagreed, and asserted that the name was not common and they thought she was Kingsley Moghalu’s daughter. Can you show us a photo of your dad if he is not the person we think? Of course she refused to do so.”
Once she crossed immigration, she texted him:
“‘Daddy, Can you believe the immigration people asked me to show them a picture of you? Of course I didn’t. What kind of madness is this!’”
Moghalu reflected on the encounter with both humor and insight:
“If you were a proper Nigerian, my dear daughter, you might have even announced your father’s name when you were not asked. You would probably have received courtesies that would shorten your process at the counter. But I told her I was glad she stood her ground, as indeed that was an invasion of privacy and asking for a photo of her father was improper in reality, although in all probability the questioning was well intentioned. This is a national culture context.”
He went on to note the double-edged nature of name recognition:
“Name recognition carries many implications, mostly pleasant and humbling. I receive tremendous goodwill wherever I go in my country (and in several others) and relatives consistently report the same whenever they are asked (and affirm) whether they are related to me. But my daughter, while of course proud of her father, is a stickler for propriety and professionalism! She was well brought up!”
Moghalu’s story is a reminder that even seemingly small interactions can raise larger questions about privacy, professionalism, and institutional behavior. While name recognition can open doors, it also carries the responsibility to ensure fairness and respect for individuals — regardless of who they are related to.
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