September 13, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government says the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), has cleared about 60,000 passport backlog within four working days.
THEWILL recalls that Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Thursday, September 7, ordered the NIS to clear all backlog passport in two weeks.
The ultimatum came in line with Dr Tunji-Ojo’s earlier charge to the agency to remove “bottlenecks in the acquisition of passports and other immigration documents” and his assurance to Nigeria.
Speaking on Tuesday, when he received Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, who was on a courtesy call, Tunji-Ojo said about 60,000 passports, specifically 59,906 have been cleared as at Tuesday morning, September 12th.
“When we came on board, the passport crisis was an embarrassment. And we said it cannot continue.
“As of this morning, I can tell you that about 60,000 passport backlogs have been cleared, specifically 59,906. On Wednesday, September 6, 2023, when I gave the 2-week ultimatum, we had over 200,000 backlogs. We have recorded progress, and I maintain my word that those backlogs must be cleared”, he said.
A statement issued by Babatunde Alao, Special Assistant on Media to the minister, said Edu’s visit was to seek partnership with the ministry to tackle human trafficking and other related challenges including poor veterans’ welfare, underemployment, and poverty among citizens.
Edu said the Interior Ministry was in the best position to solve issues of human trafficking, as it plays a supervisory role in the NIS.
“His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has directed us to see the place of partnership as agents of his #RenewedHope Agenda, and we are here to deliver on this mandate.
“We assure you of our support. Your initiative is progressive and commendable, especially at this crucial time in the history of our country. There is a lot of work to be done, and we cannot work in silos as the President has directed”, Tunji-Ojo assured.
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