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  • FG gives two-week timeline for passport issuance

    FG gives two-week timeline for passport issuance

    The Federal Government on Wednesday announced a two-week timeline for the issuance of passports, saying the era when Nigerians waited for months to get their passports was over.

    Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the timeline in Abuja while briefing newsmen on his earlier directive to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to clear more than 204,000 backlogs of passport applications.

    The minister apologised to Nigerians that clearance of the backlog had spilled into three weeks, as opposed to the earlier two weeks deadline he gave.

    Tunji-Ojo lauded officers and men of the NIS for efforts made so far and charged them to work round-the-clock and on public holidays and weekends to achieve his directive.

    He said while the procurement of visas was a privilege, acquisition of a passport was the right of every Nigerian.

    He also expressed the commitment of President Bola Tinubu not to increase the cost of passport issuance in spite of foreign exchange volatility.

    “On Sept. 7, we made a promise to sort out the backlogs in two weeks, but we made it in three weeks and I sincerely want to apologise to Nigerians for that.

    “The `Renewed Hope’ administration of President Bola Tinubu is one that matches its words with actions.

    “The issue of passport must be a right and not a privilege. Visa is a privilege but passport is a right,’’ the minister said.

    Tunji-Ojo stressed that with that new development, the Federal Government had been able to hand over the rights of Nigerians to them.

    “For us, we are sure that if it can work at the NIS, it can work anywhere else. Nigeria is undergoing a process.

    “We inherited 204,332 enrolments without passport issuance.

    “We gave a marching order because the president is also on our necks to bring solutions and succour to Nigerians,’’ he said.

    He explained that after strategic meetings with NIS officials and with service providers, the service was able to increase printing machines in passport offices from two to four at no cost.

    “The NIS personnel were running three shifts, working round-the-clock to ensure that the backlogs were cleared and to ensure that never again would the issue of backlogs resurface.

    “We want to ensure that nobody waits for more than two weeks to get his or her passport.

    “As of Oct. 1, we had cleared all the 204,332 backlogs and from records produced by the NIS, passports already collected were 91,981. Outstanding, but available are 112,351 passports,’’ Tunji-Ojo said.

    The minister pleaded with Nigerians to endeavour to collect their passports, adding that Nigerians should not give money to a third party to process passport applications, no matter the circumstance.

    “If there is any passport office where you have done your biometrics and it does not give you your passport, please complain through telephone number 0802 375 3414, preferably SMS and Whatsapp. Or email aa-ajiboye@yahoo.com

    “The attitude of a very negligible fraction of NIS officers will not cast aspersions on the work of the majority of good officers,’’ he stressed.

    The minister said also that he had perused all contracts and agreements the ministry and its agencies entered into with service providers.

    He promised that in the next couple of months, passport applicants would be able to upload their passport photographs via NIS portal, rather than going to passport offices for such registration.

    According to him, applicants would only be required to visit the passport offices for their biometrics enrolment.

    “Hopefully by December, people will not need to go to passport offices to take pictures.

    “This is 2023. People will be able to upload their passport photographs online with specifications. That is what is done for visa applications; we are advancing in that direction.

    “Also, your supporting documents should be uploaded online so that when you go to the passport office, it will just be for biometrics and within five minutes you are done,’’ he explained.

    The minister said the new steps were designed to end the era when passport applicants spent whole days at passport offices.

    Tunji-Ojo added that in the new system, the passport office would be able to process more than 400 applications daily, a departure from the past.

    “These are some of the innovations we are bringing. While we know what the exchange rate is, we are not increasing passport fees.

    “The present administration understands the needs of the people. As a person, I do not want anybody to go and stay in a passport office for more than 10 minutes,” Tunji-Ojo told newsmen.

  • FG to boost daily production of passports to 24000 by NIS

    FG to boost daily production of passports to 24000 by NIS

    The Federal Government has declared that the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) will boost its daily passport production to 24,000 as soon as current application backlogs are addressed.

    In a recent meeting with a delegation from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) in Abuja, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, conveyed that roughly 97,000 of the 200,000 passport application backlogs have already been processed.

    According to a statement released by the ministry’s Director of Press, Ajibola Afonja, Tunji-Ojo emphasized the President’s commitment to national development and the importance of eliminating task redundancy between the agency and the ministry.

    Highlighting the ongoing reforms within the NIS concerning passport issuance, the minister said, “By this morning (Friday), we’ve addressed about 97,000 passport applications. Once we’ve cleared all backlogs, we will enhance our daily production capacity to 24,000 passports.”

    Furthermore, Tunji-Ojo called upon the UNODC to assist in providing skill training for inmates in correctional centers. He underscored the vision of these facilities as centers of reformation, urging that they should not merely be viewed as punishment zones. He also advocated for collaboration between the ministry and the UN agency to streamline intervention programs, ensuring their efficacy and transparency.

    In response, the UNODC team leader, Mr. Oliver Stolpe, acknowledged the purpose of their visit was to explore potential collaboration points and to outline areas where the UNODC has already offered assistance.

  • NIS clears 60,000 passport backlog in four days – Interior Minister

    NIS clears 60,000 passport backlog in four days – Interior Minister

    Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has revealed that about  60,000 passport backlogs have been cleared within four working days.

    This development was made known by the Media Adviser to the Minister, Babatunde Alao, via a statement on Tuesday.

    He said the interior minister, Tunji-Ojo made the disclosure earlier in the day while receiving the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Beta Edu.

    The minister assured that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s dministration is working round the clock to address the country’s challenges.

    “As of this morning, I can tell you that about 60,000 passport backlogs have been cleared, especially 59,906.

    “On Wednesday, September 6, when I gave the two-week ultimatum, we had over 200,000 backlogs. We have recorded progress, and I keep my word that those backlogs must be cleared”, he said.

    Recall that the minister last Thursday directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to clear all pending passport applications.

    Earlier, Dr Betta Edu, said the visit was informed by the need to extend its hand of partnership to collaborate with the Ministry of Interior as it seeks to drastically reduce human trafficking and other related challenges including poor veterans’ welfare, underemployment and poverty amongst citizens.

    She added that the ministry was in the best position to solve issues of human trafficking as it plays a supervisory role in the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

  • Why delays in passport issuances – Immigration

    Why delays in passport issuances – Immigration

    The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has blamed discrepancies in National Identification Number (NIN) and the name filled in passport forms for delays in procuring passports beyond the recommended six weeks.

    The Comptroller of Immigration Service, Enugu Command, Mrs Azuka Halliday, disclosed this during the event marking NIS 60th anniversary celebrations in Enugu on Sunday.

    She said that when the name in applicants’ NIN document did not match the name in their passport forms, it delayed the time of delivery of their passports beyond the recommended six weeks.

    Halliday, therefore, advised Nigerians to use the NIS online platform for passports applications to avoid complications including delays that might arise from using a third party platform.

    She said that if the applicants faced issues other than the NIN/passport form name discrepancy, her office would be more open to attend to them quickly.

    She said at 60, NIS had delivered its core mandate which included, Issuance of passports and other traveling documents, Border Surveillance and Patrol, Enforcement of laws and Regulations and others to Nigerians.

    On the National Migration Policy, Halliday said Nigeria adopted it in 2015 to ensure that the country got optimum development from international migration.

    She said Nigeria contributed a substantial percentage to global migration as a major country of origin, transit and destination in terms of global migration.

    “For effective implementation of the global migration policy, NIS is now saddled with the role of border management, ensuring national border security, seamless regular migration and economic development of the country.

    “NIS has developed a streamline building programmes for its workforce nationally that would ensure proactive, effective and efficient service delivery as well as introduction of modern technology to enhance its operations.

    “All these innovation is to keep our borders safe,” she explained.

    Mr Okey Ezugwu, a retired NIS staff who delivered the anniversary lecture,  described Nigeria’s Immigration Law as the most liberal in the world because of its friendly nature.

    “If one runs foul of our laws, we do not really go for a kill as the person being punished may not understand why he is being punished.

    “I am not saying that our immigration laws should be reviewed but I am saying from our own background, that we are hospitable and we don’t ill-treat foreigners”, he said.

    He called for a review of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) policy that allowed citizens of member countries freedom to enter any ECOWAS country without Visas.

    Ezugwu, who retired as an Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, said the freedom was being abused as many Nigerians did not see themselves as strangers in Nigeria.

    “Another area that need to be looked into is the Free Trade Zone policy where people in it were not subject to immigration regulations,” he said.

    Ezugwu, said that Immigration, at 60, had done so much in its core mandates as well as in the promotion of tourism and investment in the country.

    The event was attended by the various security agencies and Heads of Government Agencies, as well as other individuals in the state.

  • Passport reforms: Nigeria Immigration redeploys 15 comptrollers

    Passport reforms: Nigeria Immigration redeploys 15 comptrollers

    The acting Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Mrs Caroline Adepoju has approved the immediate reposting of 15 passport officers in a bid to strengthen the ongoing passport reform process.

    This is contained in a statement issued by the Acting Public Relations Officer, Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, Kenneth Kure on Thursday in Abuja.

    Adepoju said that the NIS management was determined to upgrade the Passport administration both at home and in the foreign missions.

    She assured that the service would not go back on its avowed position to make passport offices across board to be purely Service oriented.

    She named some of the affected passport offices as Alausa and Festac both in Lagos, as well as the ones in Edo, Anambra, Bayelsa, Kogi, Nassarawa, Plateau, Enugu, Abia, Kano, Taraba and Ondo, among others.

    The acting CG maintained that only the best brains who have fully adopted the mantra of Service above self, would henceforth be posted to sensitive places.

    “This is so because our people deserve nothing short of the best, ” she said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the posting order was signed by the Deputy Comptroller General (DCG), incharge of Human Resources, Mr Usman Babangida.

  • Breaking! Seychelles bans Nigerian passport holders

    Breaking! Seychelles bans Nigerian passport holders

    The Island African nation of Seychelles has placed a travel  ban on Nigerian passport holders applying for short-term visa or holiday purposes.

    The ban has been made public by a travel content creator, @munafromtravelletters, who raised the alarm on Saturday evening with a screenshot of the rejection email.

    The screenshot reads “We regret to inform you that your application has been denied, as per immigration regulation, for now we are not accepting any NIGERIAN passport holder for holiday purposes. Kindly contact http://www.ics.gov.sc/ (Seychelles Immigration) or call 248 4 293 636 for more information”.

    As caption, she wrote ‘It seems Seychelles just placed a ban on Nigerian passport holders. The thing with having a Nigerian passport is you can be postponing travel plans until you become Bill Gates and immigration policies will be like Dey play’.

    The ban comes just six months after Nigeria signed a pact for direct flights between the two countries.

    Before the ban, Nigeria had a long-standing visa-free agreement with Seychelles which allows Nigerian citizens free entry without a visa for 30 days.

  • 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.

  • Immigration declares state of emergency on passport

    Immigration declares state of emergency on passport

    The Acting Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Caroline Adepoju, on Friday announced a state of emergency on Passport issues in the country.

    Adepoju said during her working visit to Lagos that there was urgent need to address the challenges faced by Nigerians in obtaining international passports.

    A statement by the Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO) Mr Tony Akuneme, said that the acting CGI inaugurated a state-of-the-art Visa on Arrival Lounge at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport.

    The NIS boss used the event to announce a comprehensive plan of action to tackle the issues effectively.

    She said that the facility was a demonstration of the NIS commitment to improving the overall travel experience for visitors entering Nigeria.

    According to her, the state of emergency declaration on Passport issues signifies the renewed commitment of NIS to resolve the challenges faced by Nigerians seeking to obtain passports.

    “It represents a call to action for all stakeholders to prioritise efficiency, transparency, and excellence in service delivery, “she said.

    Adepoju directed all Passport Control Officers, relevant units and personnel, including Missions abroad, to eliminate all hindrances preventing Nigerians from accessing Passports promptly.

    “NIS is leveraging technology and instituting robust administrative measures to enhance the Passport application and issuance process.

    “We urge all Nigerians to remain patient and cooperate with the service as it takes decisive steps to address the Passport crisis,” she said.

    Adepoju assured the public that the efforts was to ensure that every eligible Nigerian who required a Passport could obtain one in a timely manner.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Adepoju also paid an unscheduled visit to Alausa Passport office to assess the situation firsthand.

    In her address, Ag. CGI emphasised the necessity to dismantle all man-made bottlenecks impeding Passport application process.

    She stressed that the NIS management was fully committed to addressing institutional and technology-based drawbacks to ensure a more efficient and streamlined service delivery.

    Also, Adepoju, who recognised the importance of collaboration and community engagement, embarked on a grassroots sensitisation initiative targeting traditional rulers.

    She visited the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, during which she sought for the cooperation of traditional rulers nationwide to NIS activities, including prevention of human trafficking.

  • How we reduced passport racketeering in Lagos – Aregbesola

    How we reduced passport racketeering in Lagos – Aregbesola

    The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has disclosed how measures adopted have helped in reducing the menace of international passport racketeering in Lagos State.

    Aregbesola, who disclosed this at the weekend, said the measures adopted also helped to reduce congestion and over-stretching of existing facilities.

    According to the Minister, the creation of additional passport centres in Ikoyi, Festac,  Alausa and Amuwo Odofin substantially reduced passport racketeering.

    He, however, lamented that despite the measures, some Nigerians preferred to follow illegal routes to obtain the documents.

    The Minister made the remarks while receiving officials of the Professional Statisticians Society of Nigeria in his office.

    The body was led by its president, Professor Waheed Yahya.

    Aregbesola identified statistical data analysis and its scientific use as necessary for the successful implementation of government programmes and policies and effective service delivery.

    He explained in a statement signed by the Director of Press in the Ministry, Afonja Ajibola, that his knowledge and use of statistical data tremendously helped him as an active player at different levels of administration in life.

    The minister regretted that given the government intervention in passport issuance, it was unfortunate that many who do not want to follow laid down rules and procedures still land themselves in the hands of unscrupulous people who extort money from them.

    ”I find statistics useful and result-oriented; and I recommend it to industrialists, entrepreneurs, politicians, leaders of communities, local governments, states and nations.

    “It is at the federal level that there is substantial interest in statistics in the country,” Aregbesola said.

    Yahya said their organisation is a body of professional statisticians with responsibility for engaging in statistical research capable of assisting policymakers in government, industries and non-governmental organizations in the development of the nation.

    He further said they also train and mentor younger ones in the field of statistical research in the country.

    Yahya disclosed that the purpose of the visit was to congratulate the minister on the series of transformations he brought to the Ministry of Interior, and further explore possible areas of cooperation as a lover of statistics.