Passport Processing Time Now Six Weeks — FG

*Deploys Secret Operatives, Hidden Cameras To Passport
Offices

The Federal Government has reviewed the timeline for passport
application process by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to six
weeks effective from 1st of June, 2021, so as to ensure seamless,
transparent, as well as according to human dignity to
applicants.

Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola made this known on
Thursday at a meeting with the Comptroller-General of Immigration,
Mohammad Babandede, Passport Control Officers, as well as the
attaches in Nigeria Missions abroad, at the Immigration
Headquarters, Sauka, Abuja.

He added that this would allow for enough time to investigate
and validate personal information supplied by the applicants

He said: “We have had several challenges in the past, including
shortage of booklets, touting, racketeering, inflating the cost of
a passport, passports being issued to ineligible persons, the
COVID-19 issue, among others.

“It has become imperative therefore to review our operations and
rejig our system, in order to be able to offer excellent services
to our clients,” he said.

According to him, efforts were on to embed security operatives
both seen and unseen, in all passport offices who would wear body
cameras to detect and report any form of solicitations, inflation,
improper communications, extortion, diversion, hoarding, and other
corrupt practices.

He warned that those caught would be dealt with according to the
law,” he stressed.

The Minister disclosed further that an ombudsman will also be
created for members of the public to receive complaints and reports
on officers trying to deviate from prescribed guidelines and
subversion of the process.

Arẹgbẹsọla said, “Therefore, I am declaring a zero-tolerance
stance to all forms of touting. No applicant will be made to pay
any illegitimate fees.

“A timeline will be fixed for every application i.e., a
collection date. This will be six weeks, comparable to what obtains
in other countries. This is to allow for enough time to investigate
and validate personal information supplied by the applicants.

“What we are driving at is the peace of mind that comes from the
assurance of certainty. If there are circumstances that will make
the date change, it will be communicated to the applicant one week
before the collection date.

“Applicants will have no basis for further communication with
officers, other than to complete their application process and
leave the venue. The date for the collection of their passports or
any challenge to the application will be communicated to them. The
technology for the efficient running of this system has been
acquired and will be deployed.

“We are publishing on our website the list of the backlog of
passports that are ready which are yet to be collected by the
owners. They will be required to go to the state commands to
collect them,” he said.

*Deploys Secret Operatives, Hidden Cameras To Passport
Offices

The Federal Government has reviewed the timeline for passport
application process by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to six
weeks effective from 1st of June, 2021, so as to ensure seamless,
transparent, as well as according to human dignity to
applicants.

Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola made this known on
Thursday at a meeting with the Comptroller-General of Immigration,
Mohammad Babandede, Passport Control Officers, as well as the
attaches in Nigeria Missions abroad, at the Immigration
Headquarters, Sauka, Abuja.

He added that this would allow for enough time to investigate
and validate personal information supplied by the applicants

He said: “We have had several challenges in the past, including
shortage of booklets, touting, racketeering, inflating the cost of
a passport, passports being issued to ineligible persons, the
COVID-19 issue, among others.

“It has become imperative therefore to review our operations and
rejig our system, in order to be able to offer excellent services
to our clients,” he said.

According to him, efforts were on to embed security operatives
both seen and unseen, in all passport offices who would wear body
cameras to detect and report any form of solicitations, inflation,
improper communications, extortion, diversion, hoarding, and other
corrupt practices.

He warned that those caught would be dealt with according to the
law,” he stressed.

The Minister disclosed further that an ombudsman will also be
created for members of the public to receive complaints and reports
on officers trying to deviate from prescribed guidelines and
subversion of the process.

Arẹgbẹsọla said, “Therefore, I am declaring a zero-tolerance
stance to all forms of touting. No applicant will be made to pay
any illegitimate fees.

“A timeline will be fixed for every application i.e., a
collection date. This will be six weeks, comparable to what obtains
in other countries. This is to allow for enough time to investigate
and validate personal information supplied by the applicants.

“What we are driving at is the peace of mind that comes from the
assurance of certainty. If there are circumstances that will make
the date change, it will be communicated to the applicant one week
before the collection date.

“Applicants will have no basis for further communication with
officers, other than to complete their application process and
leave the venue. The date for the collection of their passports or
any challenge to the application will be communicated to them. The
technology for the efficient running of this system has been
acquired and will be deployed.

“We are publishing on our website the list of the backlog of
passports that are ready which are yet to be collected by the
owners. They will be required to go to the state commands to
collect them,” he said.