TheNewsGuru

Tag: NIS

  • Immigration gives update on uncollected passports nationwide

    Immigration gives update on uncollected passports nationwide

    The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) says about 97,000 passport booklets issued were uncollected in the 36 states nationwide including Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    The Service Public Relations Officer, (SPRO) Comptroller of Immigration, Mr Tony Akuneme said this in an interview with NAN on Friday in Abuja.

    Akuneme said that the service recently found out that Lagos State had half of the uncollected passports.

    He said that there was also a danger that half of the owners of the uncollected passports could not be reached due to lack of proper documentation because of a third party involvement.

    He also said that the essence of state of emergency declaration was to draw attention of the media so they could deepened the process for the service as alot of people do not know if their passport were ready for collection.

    “Some of them engaged agents to help them in their passport processing and these agents might be doing for alot of persons.

    “They end up dropping wrong contacts and thereby making it difficult to reach out to the owners of these passports when they are ready for collection. This is a big challenge, “he said.

    The Acting Comptroller General, NIS, Mrs Caroline Adepoju had recently declared state of emergency on passport issues across the country.

    The SPRO said that the service recently found out that most applicants complains also bothers on some human factor and technical factor which included slow speed of Internet.

    According to him, the CG didn’t want to leave anyone in doubt as to the issue of passport processing being her core area of interest.

    “That’s how she came about that term of declaring state of emergency in the passport issues.

    “When the acting CG assumed office, she made it very clear that she was going to focus on Passport reforms and staff welfare, “he said.

    According to him, the Lagos state Governor is willing to collaborate with the CG in terms of expanding the Passport services on Lagos State.

    “So, we went to Lagos State Governor to help in terms of giving us office space where we can set up front desk offices and immediately, the governor was very positive in his response

    ” Lagos is a tourism place and immigration have a key role to play in the mind of anybody visiting the state.

    “So it was a welcome development and you can see that the state of emergency that was declared is already yielding fruits as the governor accepted CGs request on land allocation to build staff quarters in Lagos, “he said.

    Akuneme said that the service however, needed the Media to tell Nigerians that people should not think there were no passport booklets.

    He said “there are booklets issued that are not collected. It is ironical, we don’t have problem of booklet, we don’t have shortage of booklets.

    “What we have had in the last one or two years is a sudden upsurge in the number of Nigerians wanting to travel . We felt it was also related to COVID-19, “he said.

    Akuneme assured that the result would be instant as more facilities were going to be put in place to curtail any challenges of passport issuance across the country.

  • Nigerian Consulate in New York dismises allegations of maltreatment

    Nigerian Consulate in New York dismises allegations of maltreatment

    The Consulate General of Nigeria in New York has dismissed a tweet by one Dr Deborah Olubamiji that she was talked down on when she and her family visited the consulate to obtain their passports.

    Olubamiji on Twitter via the handle @DrOlubamiji, on June 16 alleged that she was at the Nigeria House with her family to obtain their passports and they were talked down on.

    She alleged that the staff treated them as if they didn’t matter and that she observed inconsistent processes, late arrival of employees and lack of empathy.

    To set the records straight, the consulate in a statement on Sunday in New York described the allegations as false and deceptive.

    According to the consulate, Olubamiji arrived on the 2nd floor of Nigeria House on the said day in the afternoon in the company of her husband, Mr Oluwole Victor Awoyeji and her daughter, a toddler, and they were received at the window by a staff, who first processes passport applicants.

    “Upon scrutinising the family’s documents presented by Awoyeji, the family was informed that payments made in respect of the application for the renewal of passports of the two adults had expired as the applications were made in March, 2022.

    “It was explained to them that payments for passport applications on the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) passport application platform expire if an applicant did not present themselves for biometrics within a year of the application.

    “Thereafter, Olubamiji in anger, spewed invectives at the staff of the consulate threatening to report to the President of Nigeria, whom she claimed to know personally, and cause the staff to lose their jobs.’’

    At some point, the consulate explained that her husband was seen trying to calm her down and in the midst of this, another staff hearing the commotion came out of her office and beckoned to Awoyeji to find out was going on.

    He explained the problem to her and she pointed out that the way his wife was going would further complicate rather than solve their problem.

    As this was going on, the Head of the immigration section walked into the hall and witnessed the yelling at the staff of the consulate, who, throughout the period remained calm and never responded to the insults.

    The immigration officer’s intervention ensured that the family’s biometrics were taken and she promised to promptly send a request to the NIS technical partners in Nigeria to sort out the expired payment issue.

    She left for her office on another floor of the building and soon after, the couple joined her. They apologised for the incident and expressed appreciation to her for intervening.

    They were also referred to the Receptionist on the same floor, who guided them on how to reach the consulate through the switchboard.

    The consulate further stated that Olubamiji did not notice any staff coming late as when they arrived, they met staff at every desk they went to and they were promptly attended to.

    It stated that perhaps she thought that staff in the Biometrics Enrolment Room returning after lunch break were just reporting for the day, noting that a review of the CCTV footage on this day quickly debunked this outrageous allegation.

    The consulate, however, noted that though it is saddled with the responsibility of providing vital consular services, especially passports, it has limitations as technical issues like those presented in the case under reference can only be fixed from Nigeria.

    It stated that If Olubamiji had shown this understanding and did not go the way she did, the unfortunate situation would have been avoided.

    “The general public is kindly invited to note that despite the numerous challenges, the consulate General of Nigeria, New York, has been making efforts to provide an atmosphere where consular services would be provided to applicants in a timely, professional and courteous manner.

    “It is noteworthy that without the support and understanding of applicants, it will be very difficult to achieve these noble objectives.,’’ it stated.

  • Exercise caution against deployment of many channels for naturalization

    Exercise caution against deployment of many channels for naturalization

    A Civil Society group, under the aegis of Save Nigeria Movement has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to exercise caution in the deployment of the Brown Card aimed at granting permanent residency and citizenship status to foreign national in the country.

    According to the group, introducing a brown card as a bona fide document for granting permanent residency and citizenship would require a constitution amendment to review the eligibility conditions.

    The group, in a statement issued and signed by the Convener, Reverend Solomon Semaka, in Abuja on Thursday also noted that the introduction of a Brown Card would amount to creating a conduit for fraudulent foreigners who are looking for escape routes from the existing systems that keep them in check.

    According to the statement deploying a parallel programme that competes with existing ones would worsen the already fragile security situation and the safety of the nation against foreign nationals who come into the country with ulterior motives that undermine the country’s security system.

    Semaka, was speaking against the backdrop of media reports that quoted the immediate past Minister of Interior as saying that the federal government has granted permission to the ministry of Interior to execute new pathways to citizenship and permanent residency for eligible foreign nationals through the issuance of brown cards to foreigners who desire to be Nigerian citizens.
    “Introducing the brown card is tantamount to introducing a parallel platform for escapee defaulters in the payment for existing programmes.

    “Our investigations have shown that unscrupulous agents have already started calling expatriates in their data base to pay as much USD 5,000 with the promise that they could grant them residency and citizenship application waivers in the guise of Brown Card, even when the process to its introduction is still a long way to go.

    “This is the sign of things to come if you open multiple channels of granting permanent residency status to foreigners in Nigeria,” Semaka stated.

    According to him, the focus should rather be to sustain and strengthen existing structures to tighten the security of the country, especially in this time of heightened global terrorism.
    “Earlier this year, over 500 hundred foreign nationals were arrested with permanent voter cards.

    Also, a British national paper reported that Chinese nationals in the mining sector are financing terrorists groups in some parts of Nigeria to gain access to the country’s mineral resources.

    “All these are pointers to the fact that some unscrupulous foreign nationals could take advantage of multiple channels of naturalization which could render Nigeria’s already threatened security more porous,” Semaka said, adding also that the focus should be to strengthen available programmes and not introduce other products.

    “Just a couple of months ago, the immediate past Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, commended all the service providers engaged by the Ministry of Interior and its services/Board for their dedications to using the public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements for improving service delivery, and revenue generation for the Federal Government of Nigeria, while also calling for sustenance and strengthening of existing services being provided through these partnerships. That is the way to go,” he added.
    The group has also expressed concerns and curiosity at the reported approval granted for the brown card at the twilight of former President Muhammadu Buhari Administration.
    The group explained that what the Brown Card is designed to do is already being handled by NIS, through their technical partners, suggesting that any loopholes observed should be channeled through the existing programmes instead of creating new contracts that could be a further hemorrhage for the country’s weakened security.

  • BREAKING: Names of successful candidates for NIS, NSCDC recruitment released

    BREAKING: Names of successful candidates for NIS, NSCDC recruitment released

    The Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) has released names of successful candidates for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment exercises.

    A statement signed by the Secretary to the Board, Mr Ja’afaru Ahmed, on Monday in Abuja, disclosed that the Computer-Based Test (CBT) for successful applicants will hold on Thursday across the federation.

    The secretary said that applicants are to visit the board’s portal at “cdcfib.career” to check for successful candidates names.

    He said successful applicants should proceed to print their invitation letters and be at their respective designated centers on or before 6:30 a.m on Thursday for accreditation.

    Ahmed said those shortlisted are also required to carry with them to their centers; originals and photocopies of either of the following means of identification.

    “National Identification Slip (NIN Slip), international passport, voter’s card or driver’s licence.

    “Applicants are also to ensure that they follow strictly the information contained in their invitation letters,” he said.

  • What we are doing to curb transborder crimes – NIS

    What we are doing to curb transborder crimes – NIS

    The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) says the agency is engaging traditional rulers in various states to curb transborder crimes across the country.

    The Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO) Comptroller of Immigration, Mr Tony Akuneme, disclosed this on Sunday in Abuja.

    Akuneme said that Nigeria had extensive borders, adding that It was neccessary to deploy manpower and technology.

    He said that the service had deployed MIDAS technology, saying it was used in monitoring what was going on in the borders.

    He added that at least MIDAS was powered by foreign countries helping NIS to ensure that the borders were tight and in control.

    According to him, NIS has taken a step further to visit traditional rulers in the border communities so as not to engage in transborder crimes .

    “We have visited a couple of the Obas (Alake of Egba in Ogun, Shehu of Borno among others) and the idea is to engage the border communities to make them know they have a stake in securing these borders.

    ”So for me it’s an extra mile, apart from the regular policing of the borders by officers, we have also gone into Public Relations and then enlightenment.

    “This is so, just to make sure that people don’t think it’s not their business but that everybody is involved in the issue of securing our borders,” he said.

  • NIS blames passport scarcity on CBN

    NIS blames passport scarcity on CBN

    The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has blamed the scarcity of International passport booklets on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) policy on forex.

    The Comptroller-General of the service, Mr Idris Jere said this at a public hearing organised by an ad hoc Committee of the House of Representatives in Abuja.

    “Foreign exchange regulation policy of the government and CBN’s refusal to grant access to forex for importation of the passport booklets.

    “We generate forex from sale of passport but we do not have access to buy the same booklet and that is a challenge for NIS.

    “The factors responsible for scarcity of passport include the inability to setup passport producing factory in Nigeria as its production is done abroad.

    “The major seven component used for producing passports are sold in international market and the assemblage and production are done in Malaysia,” he said.

    He said that Irris Smart Technology Ltd, the foreign company responsible for producing the passport had done well given the conditions.

    He said that the presidential directive to commence production of passport locally by the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting (NSPM) was a welcome development.

    He, however, recommended that a proper exit plan be put in place for a smooth handover from Irris Smart Tech to prevent any breach of contract and production process.

    Earlier, the Managing Director of Irris Smart Technology Ltd , Mr Yinker Fisher said that before the advent of the e-passport system, the Nigerian passport was marred with embarrassing irregularities and inconsistency under the watch of NSPM.

    According to him, as a result of lack of capacity, NSPM outsourced the process to three companies which led to so many irregularities including passport colour and numbers.

  • Senate investigates delay in issuance of international passport

    Senate investigates delay in issuance of international passport

    Senate has mandated its Committee on Interior to urgently investigate the circumstances leading to the delay of issuance, renewal of the Nigeria International Passport by the Nigerian Immigration Services (NIS).

    It also mandated the committee to turn in its report of the investigation in two weeks.

    Senate resolution was sequel to the adoption of a motion on the ” Delay on issuance , renewal of Nigeria International Passport” by the Nigerian Immigration Services at Plenary on Tuesday.

    The motion was sponsored by Sen. Uche Ekwunife (PDP-Anambra).

    Ekwunife in her lead debate said the delay in missions and renewal of Nigeria international passport by the Nigerian Immigration Service nation wide was resulting in untold hardships for Nigerians, who need to travel out of the country or return to the country.

    She said the international passport was an official identity document, issued to Nigerians for the purpose of traveling out and into the country in exercise of their rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement.

    She said many Nigerians were still facing challenge with passport processing, despite the six weeks time line of processing passport, given by the Federal Government barely a year ago .

    According to her, presently, new applicants and those who want their passports renewed spend between three to six months processing their international passport applications at the offices of the Nigerian Immigration Services and Nigeria embassies out side the country.

    Ekwunife said getting appointment for biometric capturing at the passport offices now takes between five to eight weeks, while it takes , many applicants four months waiting for their passports to be ready for collection after the biometric exercise.

    She said that it has also become extremely difficult for passport to be processed across the country, in the immigration offices especially Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt .

    This, she noted was forcing the applicants to travel to various locations to get their passports renewed.

    “The international students are also finding it very difficult to renew their passports to enable them travel back to reunite with their families,” she said.

    Sen. Gershom Bassey (PDP-Cross-River), who seconded the motion said issuance of passport was a right of every Nigerian.

    He expressed concern that the idea of delay on issuance of passport that was almost becoming a controversy was not in the best interest of Nigerians.

    Similarly, Sen. Biodun Olujumi (PDP-Ekiti) said the motion was timely, saying that it was important to resolve the issue as that was not the situation in the past when passports were issued within two to three days.

    She said it was embarrassing to Nigerians that applicants would need to wait six to eight months for passport to be issued .

    Sen. Muhammad Bulkachuwa (APC-Bauch) however, said the motion had come too late as the matter should have been presented earlier before the senate.

    Bulkachuwa said he had experienced a similar delay when he applied for a renewal of his passport .

    According to him, it took five weeks for him to be issued his passport after his biometric exercise.

    The Senate also on the motion mandated its committee to investigate the contract awarded for the printing of Nigerian passport.

  • BREAKING: Buhari extends tenure of Immigration boss, Jere

    BREAKING: Buhari extends tenure of Immigration boss, Jere

    President Muhammad Buhari has approved the extension of the tenure of the Comptroller General, Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Isah Jere.

    A statement issued in Abuja on Friday by NIS Spokesman, Mr. Tony Akuneme, said Jere would remain in office till May 29.

    Akuneme said that the approval was contained in a letter signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof.  Ibrahim Gambari.

    According to him, Jere has since resumed duties at the Service Headquarters.

    Before the extension, the CG NIS tenure had ended on April 24.

  • Nigerians cry out over persistent extortion at airports

    Nigerians cry out over persistent extortion at airports

    …immigration, security officials, others indicted

    Nigerians have cried out over the relentless extortion of travellers at airports by immigration and other security officials, as well as staffers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos State and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

    Participants at an anti-corruption radio programme in Abuja heaped the blame on systemic corruption, faulty recruitment, and poor remuneration on the pervasive extortion of passengers at airports across Nigeria.

    An investigative report published recently by Daily Trust had fingered operatives of the Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS) and other security agencies in the gale of extortion of air travellers at the two most prominent airports in the country.

    Speaking during PUBLIC CONSCIENCE, an anti-corruption radio programme produced by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development, PRIMORG, Wednesday in Abuja, Daily Trust’s journalist, Usman Balarabe, said findings show that Lagos and Abuja airports are major hubs for extorting air travellers.

    According to Balarabe, Immigration officers are using different schemes to extort money from unsuspecting air passengers and adding that the investigation was borne out of the outcry of people and the need to end the menace of criminality at airports.

    “There is something they (Immigration officers) call divided passport techniques. Immigration officials usually use the technique at various airports, especially international airports, to extort passengers who are first-time travellers or people who have no record of travelling overseas.

    “When travelling, regardless of whether you have your visa, passport and everything, having known that it is your first time travelling, they will frustrate you in such a way that they will force you into parting with a sum of money because you will be afraid since it is your first time travelling.”

    Balarabe insisted that the Federal Government can cure the prevalence of sharp practices at airports by ensuring adequate consequences for actions, getting recruitment of personnel that work at airports right and better remunerations.

    “The security agencies should put mechanisms in place to ensure that anyone caught engaging in such menace should be dealt with immediately. Also, the government needs to sanitize recruitment processes and increase the welfare or remuneration of staff.”

    Similarly, a public good advocate, Prince Kevin Fyneface, alluded that security agencies working at airports are not new in extorting, noting that the government continues to find it challenging to stop extortion going on at airports due to poor reward system in public service, corrupt recruitment process and poor remuneration.

    To fix the problem of bribery and other forms of corruption at airports, Fyneface stressed that Nigeria must focus on purely merit-based recruitment, advising that Nigeria should emulate Western countries where personality clarity profiling is used to assess job applicants before recruitment.

    “Get people who are truly qualified for those positions. Not everybody is designed to work in immigration. Yes, we have the quota system that we must look out for, but the quota system must be based on merit.

    “We have to look at remuneration. The average police and immigration officer earns far less than they work. You cannot be generating so much money, and you’re not giving them the right remuneration,” Fyneface warned.

    Nigerians also called into the programme and decried extortion and other ill-treatment at airports.

    Sharing his experience, a caller from Abuja, who identified himself as Tochukwu, said: “If you’re not ready to part with your money to the Immigration officials, that’s when they begin to unnecessarily, rigorously search you to frustrate you to hurry you to give them money. It’s ugly to be treated as a foreigner in your own country,” Tochukwu lamented.

    According to the Daily Trust report, FAAN is aware of the ongoing extortions at the nation’s airports and has vowed to stop anyone found guilty from working in any airport again. While the NIS, through its Public Relations Officer, revealed the service has been taking disciplinary actions over extortion allegations, stressing that “the service will not wait until allegations against any of its officials are proven before taking preliminary actions on such officers.”

    Public Conscience is a syndicated weekly anti-corruption radio program used by PRIMORG to draw government and citizens’ attention to corruption and integrity issues in Nigeria.

    The program has the support of the MacArthur Foundation.

  • FG releases new speedy guidelines to procure passport, set new charges

    FG releases new speedy guidelines to procure passport, set new charges

    Following the slow process of procuring international passport by Nigerians in the country, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced a new framework agreed upon with the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to improve the quality of service, accuracy, and speed of passport services for Nigerians.

    According to NIMC, the process would be done through the timely verification of the National Identification Number )NIN)

    A statement signed and made available to DAILY POST on Monday by Kayode Adegoke,

    NIMC’s Head, Corporate Communications, Kayode Adegoke made this known via a statement signed and made available to pressmen on Monday.

    Adegoke revealed  that this new arrangement is geared towards streamlining passport application, renewal, and issuance processes as directed by the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy.

    Applicants, according to the new arrangement, would be charged for each Nigerian passport.

    “The applicable NIN verification fee is N1000 for Nigeria, for African countries it is $5.00 (or its equivalent in other currencies) while other countries will pay $15.00 (or its equivalent in other countries),” the statement said.

    “The NIN service, fees, and the new NIS process will go live on 1st April 2023.”