Nigeria set to launch automated passport application process
Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, says the country is set to begin the automated passport application process as the technology for the feature is “99% done”.
The minister made this known in a television interview on Tuesday.
“In fact, we’ve done the testing and we should be going live in the next one week or thereabout. As I said, that will ensure that Nigerians, all they need to do in an immigration centre, a passport centre, is just biometrics, just to take your fingerprints, that’s all,” he said.
The minister stated that with the automated feature, Nigerian nationals would indeed be able to complete their application from the comfort of their homes.
‘99% Done’: Tunji-Ojo Vows Automated Passport Application ‘Going Live’ Next Week
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, says the promised automation of the passport application process will begin “in the next one week”.https://t.co/8eaoBNtpSA pic.twitter.com/vuxeczpq61
— Channels Television (@channelstv) November 28, 2023
He noted that the automated passport application process would include uploading passport photos and supporting documents.
“We have gone beyond that. In fact, we’ve gone through it. We would have gone live about two weeks ago, but I saw some errors when they came to do a presentation and I said, ‘You know this cannot be this,” he said.
Also Read: Ministry of Interior to create new passports processing, collection centres
Tunji-Ojo explained that while the technology was intended to make the passport application process convenient for Nigerians, the Federal Government also prioritized national security.
“We’re talking about balancing national security as well as convenience. There must be a middle point. You cannot bring discomfort on the basis of enhancement of security. You must find a meeting point of both security and comfort,” the minister explained.
Furthermore, the minister disclosed that by February 2024, all Nigerian international airports would have e-gates.
“Once you’re Nigerian and you’re coming to Nigeria, you will have no business seeing an immigration officer, except if you’re a person of interest,” Tunji-Ojo stated.
