The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has advised Nigerians to follow due process in the passport application and shun patronising touts who will end up disrupting the standardised procedure.
The Minister stated this when he paid a surprise visit to the Alausa Passport Office of the Nigerian Immigration Service in Lagos State, South-west Nigeria.
“I have said it for the umpteenth time that Nigerians must stop patronising touts either in uniforms or in civilian clothing. The only way for you to apply for your passport is online.
“The attempt to get passport on-the-go and boycott the standardise collection timeline of three weeks for reissue and six weeks for fresh application after capturing, which is the main reason why many patronise touts, will only end up in disappointment”
“Our appointment-based system for capturing applicant’s data and standardised passport collection procedure has made nonsense of promise by touts to deliver passports to applicants who patronise them. Patronising them will only end in disappointment,” the Minister stated.
Whilst listening to feedback from applicants who were waiting for their data capturing, an applicant complained about the application process, which in his opinion is cumbersome.
“After I completed my application and chose today for my data capturing appointment, I printed every necessary document, however, on my arrival here, I was asked to start filling a manual form again, which I had filled online and printed already,” the applicant complained.
However, the Minister asked the Passport Control Officer at the station, Mrs B. L. Bukar, to explain the breach of due process, noting that such a request was strange.
The officer who allegedly sold the obnoxious form and made the request for the manual filling was identified and subsequently queried.
Addressing the applicants, the Minister pleaded with Nigerians to avoid the urge to patronise touts, stating that if they cooperate with the government, the ongoing passport reforms will work and the system will be improved.
The Minister urged officers to reflect on their attitude at work and the way they relate with passport applicants, as such, they should avoid creating false gridlock that frustrates and exasperates Nigerian citizens due to passport application.
He further stated that the earlier visit to Kirikiri Custodial Centres and the Alausa Passport office is part of his effort to ensure that the Ministry and the Agencies serve Nigerians to the best of their abilities and to keep the agencies on their toes, knowing that he may walk into any of the service centres at any time.
Dominica Nwabufo
