January 31, (THEWILL) – The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), said it processed at least 2.9 million international passports in the last two years.
The service also said that it targets additional two million passports processing between now and end of May, 2023.
Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Minister of Interior, made this known on Monday, in Lagos, during the opening of the new Immigration office at the Egbeda area of the state.
According to Aregbesola, the service printed one million copies of international passports in 2021, while another 1.9 million was processed in 2022, indicating 80 percent increase when compared to the previous year.
Aregbesola reiterated that the service could print more copies of the international passports for willing Nigerians, but said the service lacked adequate personnel to meet the demands.
On the new office, which he called front desk office, Aregbesola said it would be responsible for biometrics, picture processing and others that would make passport processing more seamless and less strenuous for applicants.
The front desk office, Aregbesola said, is the first of its kind anywhere in the country, assuring that more of such offices would be opened across the state and in Nigeria.
He insisted that Lagos requires additional 14 of such offices to be able to cope with daily demands of applicants, adding that more front desk offices would be opened in Zaria, Daura and Oyo, among others, before the end of May.
The minister said that since he came onboard in 2015, the administration had commissioned 18 new commands for the Nigeria Immigration Service including the current one, which are meant to meet the demands of applicants.
He, however, cautioned that the front desk office was not “an express centre” for passport processing and warned applicants to be wary of racketeers, who he said were creating bottlenecks in the system.
He stated that with more of such locations, international passports could be processed within six weeks for fresh applicants, while renewal could be done within three weeks.
He said: “Lagos alone needs additional 14 facilities to be able to cope with demands from the state alone. This facility that we are inaugurating today (Monday) is the first in the country. Alimosho Local Government Area has the bragging right.
“In the next one week, when you open the portal of NIS, you will see the locations where passports are processed and I can assure you that you will see Alimosho as one of those centres.”
The minister equally pointed out that, no fewer than 200,000 Nigerian international passports are printed worldwide on a monthly basis, while 50 percent of such are done in Lagos alone.
Also, Mr Isah Jere, the Acting Comptroller General, NIS, described the inauguration of the front desk office as a legacy project aimed at bringing its service closer to the residents of Alimosho and environs.
Jere insisted that the new office would reduce the complaints of applicants, adding that online application of passport would further reduce human interface.
He challenged its officers at the new office to be cautious and professional in their dealings with applicants, warning that any office found wanting would be severely punished.
Mrs Orelope Adefulure, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Millennium Development Goal (MDG), lauded Aregbesola for the gesture.
She maintained that having a passport office in Alimosho was not a mistake and urged the residents to cooperate with the service personnel.
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.
