November 24, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government has commissioned a new passport-issuing facility that would offer the 10-year validity passports to Nigerians at the Nigerian High Commission in London, the United Kingdom.
Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who unveiled the facility on Tuesday, said eligible applicants now have access to the various options available on the enhanced e-passport categories, including the 5-year, 32-page passport category, the 5-year, 64-page category and the 10-year, 64-page category.
Speaking at the event, the minister stated that the enhanced e-passport is a great improvement of the standard e-passport introduced in 2007, with more sophisticated security features, making it one of the most secure passports in the world.
According to the minister, the enhanced e-passport “comes in polycarbonate data page and with this, Nigeria is at the highest level of Passport security and integrity in the world”.
Ogbeni Aregbesola also gave assurances of the government’s readiness to continue to provide passports to eligible applicants without stress and within a reasonable period, noting that efforts are being made to resolve all the problems associated with passport administration and issuance across all centres.
The minister revealed that the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has issued 2.7 million passports to Nigerians in the past two years, including the deployment of over 600,000 booklets in 2021 to address rising demand for the document.
He thanked the officials of the High Commission for their commitment to quality service delivery and urged for a deepened engagement with the diaspora population.
In his remarks, the acting Comptroller General of Immigration Service, Isah Jere Idris, affirmed the commitment of the Service to meet the rising demands for Passport services in London and advised prospective applicants to visit the Service’s official website (immigration.gov.ng) to apply and pay for the Passport category of their choice.
He enjoined those who have any complaints to use available complaints channels to resolve any issues assuring that his officers are professionals and would continue to deliver excellent services to our citizens.
The event was attended by the Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola, the Minister of Interior, the acting Comptroller General of Immigration, senior officials of the High Commission, a cross section of Nigerians in the United Kingdom and members of the diplomatic community.
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
