THE Federal Government says it has digitalized payments for Nigerian passports, advising citizens to avoid patronizing touts and unscrupulous officials when applying for the document.
Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, stated this on Monday at the Oyo State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) headquarters in Ibadan, Oyo State, during the rollout of the enhanced e-Passport with polycarbonate data page and other security features.
While unveiling the new epassports, he noted that the new development was part of the reforms, indicating the migration of international passport applications and payments to digital platforms.
Aregbesola, however, said that “We regret to observe that applicants still patronize touts and unscrupulous officials in the hope to beat the system and get expedited services. When they are disappointed, they come to report to us. Of course, we have zero tolerance for corruption and subversion of due process. We, therefore, take seriously any such report and invoke the necessary disciplinary measures.
“I will implore applicants to stop patronizing touts. Follow the process we put in place. Apply for passports and pay online.
“The only engagement with our staff is the enrolment of your biometrics. Patronizing touts and passport office officials doesn’t always end well, but rather serves to defeat our purpose of eliminating corruption and infusing integrity in the passport administration process.”
Speaking on the new application process, the minister noted that a new timeline has been set for fresh passport application and reissue.
“Our template stipulates maximum of six weeks for obtaining new passports and maximum of three weeks for renewal. We work within this schedule to enable us to investigate any claims made by applicants and verify them for the final document we issue them to have integrity.
“If there are challenges, wait, eventually you will get your passport before your due date of travel if you apply early enough. You will still have enough time to apply for visa and other travel documents.
“Nowhere in the world is passport administration done on a wait-and-get basis, except in extreme emergencies. The only wait-and-get passport is passport photograph,” Aregbesola stated.
On the new enhanced passport being rolled out in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the minister noted that the passport is an improved document with high security features.
He said: “The enhanced e-passport is a great improvement on the biometric passport technology which Nigeria adopted in 2007 as a deliberate step towards curbing forgery, impersonation and other forms of travel document fraud associated with the old machine-readable passport regime.
“It is the latest technology in passport making anywhere in the world and only few countries have it.
