FG restates commitment to ease passport availability for Nigerians

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to easing the difficulties Nigerians face in applying for and getting their passports through enhanced service delivery and streamlining of its procedures.

Minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola made this known on Tuesday at the commissioning of the Ilesa Passport Front Office and Production Centre of the Nigeria Immigration Service.

He said the Federal Government has also been working assiduously to adequately address the growing number of Nigerians who need the passport for other purposes.

Aregbesola noted that the surge in the number of applications necessitates the establishment of more passport front offices across the country, which is born out of the determination of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to further make the process seamless.

The minister said: “In recent years, there has been an upsurge in passport demands by Nigerians. The first factor in this upsurge was the COVID-19 pandemic that affected our production schedule, due to restrictions on human movement. This created a backlog that we were trying to clear when an unprecedented number of Nigerians now decided to travel outside the country and applied for passport, thereby compounding the backlog challenge.

“Then of course, the panic buying syndrome kicked in. Many people who had no immediate need of passport then started applying, creating a deluge of applications. Thankfully, that is behind us now. The backlogs have all been cleared and we are producing on schedule in all our centres.

“Fresh application will take six weeks after biometric data capture, while renewal requires just three weeks.

“To respond to the challenge, we increased our production capacity. In 2021, we produced one million booklets. Last year, we increased production to 1.8 million, nearly doubling our efforts. We shall keep working at it to ensure that we provide for as many Nigerians that are desirous of the passport.

“The Passport Front Office we are commissioning today is one of the ways we are responding to increased demand for passport, especially to reduce the waiting time for biometric data capture. We have opened this front office in Alimosho, Katsina, Zaria, Daura and in several Nigerian missions abroad in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, where the enhanced passport is being rolled out.”

Speaking at the event, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State affirmed his resolve as a progressive, to complete all projects started by Aregbesola as governor of the state but abandoned by the immediate past administration. 

Adeleke said: “No matter the party you are, if you are a progressive, you are a progressive if you are doing what the people want. When he (Aregbesola) was governor, he loved the people and the people loved him. All the projects Aregbesola left, it was abandoned for years. I promised the people during my campaign that I was going to continue the projects, that is what I am doing.

“As a civilised person, no matter the party you are, you will always love progress. That is why I will always continue to ensure that all developmental projects are continued. As a federal minister from the state, we are proud of your achievements and we will continue to be proud of you.

“Mr. Minister, I am assuring you, that this is your state, nobody can chase you away. This is your state; you are welcome at any time. Even, you can come around to the Government House. When I complete all of the structures I am currently working on at the Government House, I will personally invite you to commission it.”

Earlier in his address, the Controller General, NIS, Isah Jere Idris, commended the leadership of the Ministry of Interior, for providing transformational leadership for the service.

Idris said in the last few years, concerted efforts have been made to sure that Nigerians are able to easily access passport and other services, in guaranteeing internal security, in the most convenient way.

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