Go Through Proper Channel To Get Passport, Aregbesola Urges Nigerians

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, on Thursday, warned that henceforth, any passport applicant who paid money to any Immigration worker for the issuance of passport would be charged with bribery and inducement.

Aregbesola gave the warning at the unveiling of the enhanced e-Passport facility and inauguration of the passport production centre at the Enugu Passport Office.

He advised prospective applicants to henceforth make payments for the various categories of passport they desired online and process their applications via the passport portal at passport.immigration.gov.ng.

The minister, who regretted some of the challenges and irregularities Nigerians were passing through to procure their passports, explained that the online application system “is designed to eliminate personal contact, other than for biometric purposes.”

He stated, “This is to curb corruption, extortion and inflation. But as long as applicants try to cut corners, they defeat our purpose and create avoidable problems.

“The first problem that arises is unfulfilled expectations. Touts and officials are not in any position to guarantee anything.

“Our system makes room for six weeks for fresh applications and three weeks for renewal. This is to enable the NIS to investigate and verify claims by the applicants. It is advisable for travellers in need of passports to begin the application process early, factoring our timeline. The maximum six weeks is reasonable and among the shortest application time in the world.

“Promising an applicant an express service, therefore, is a scam. It is bound to end in disappointment and for most part it does. I will appeal, therefore, to applicants to follow the path we provide through the online portal. That is the only reliable and assuring path to procuring a Nigerian passport. If you pay money to any Immigration staff member, you can be arrested and charged with bribery and inducement.”

While he promised that the Nigeria Immigration Service would continue to frontally address the mounting public concerns over the quality and transparency of its passport issuance process to enable a transparent and highly professionalised service delivery, Aregbesola said the ministry would continue to provide the needed policy direction to all agencies under his watch to ensure that Nigerians were properly served.

The minister added, “Today’s event is unique in many ways. The most important is making the enhanced e-Passport available to the good people of the South East. The enhanced e-Passport comes in various categories, including the 64-page 10-year validity period passport, which is quite convenient for frequent travellers. It is a product of the latest technology in passport administration and issuance.

“Only very few countries in the world can boast of it as of today. The document is of higher grade with additional 25 security features than the one currently in use. It is polycarbonate in design and therefore water-resistant. It cannot be compromised by counterfeiters and identity thieves.

“The NIS has continued to ensure that the Nigerian passport satisfies all the standards set out by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

“The Interior ministry appreciates the volume of economic activities in the South-East and the rising number of citizens from the region, who have strong international dimension to their businesses and socio-economic pursuits. They need the travel document. It is our responsibility to provide it for them within the shortest possible time at a reasonable price and without any hassle.”

In his address, the acting Controller-General, NIS, Isah Idris, promised Nigerian better services with the introduction of online passport processing.

Idris disclosed that between 2019 and now, the NIS had issued about three million passports to Nigerians, adding, “Last year alone, 1.3 million passports were issued, while over 250,000 passports remain uncollected by applicants.

“Their owners will probably be among those complaining that they have yet to receive their passports. Nevertheless, many applicants are not going to have their passports because of the errors in their applications, which delayed processing. They may not know because they applied through touts and other illegal channels.”