The Nigerian Immigration Service NIS has unveiled the enhanced e-passport production centre in the South Eastern part of the country.
Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola during the unveiling ceremony in Enugu, south east Nigeria, said all is now set to eliminate racketeering and all sorts of malpractices in the issuance of passport by the Nigeria Immigration Service.
He urged the public to help the ministry by refusing to give tip or kick back to officers of the service in the renewal or obtaining of passports.
Aregbesola said that the new e-passport is what applicants can do themselves with their phones.
“Our new e-passport has a minimum of three weeks for renewal and six weeks for a new e-passport”, he said.
“The ministry of Interior has zero tolerance for corruption. The passport is water resistant and has security features which makes it very difficult to fake or forge,” he added.
Commendation
The Governor of Enugu state, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who was represented by the secretary to state government, Prof. Simeon Ortuanya commended the Nigeria Immigration Service for the wonderful steps taken to eliminate racketeering and all forms of malpractices in the issuance of passport.
The Enugu state government however promised to partner with the NIS to ensure that there is a bush of trees at the NIS headquarters in Enugu.
The Ag. Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Isah Jere Idris said that the enhanced e-Passport comes in various categories, including the 64-page-10-year validity 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 Organization (ICAO).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”, Idris said.
Meeting demands of customers
The NIS said that it is aware of the need for people to travel and that it is their responsibility to provide e-passport for them within the shortest possible time, at a reasonable price and without any hassle.
“The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), whose mandate includes passport administration, particularly addresses the rising demand of passport services nationally and has been priming its facilities to meet this demand.
“The train has now come to the South East and it shall go round the country. We have had some challenges in the recent past on delays experienced by some applicants in procuring their passports. This is regrettable. But it will interest you to know that between 2019 and now, the NIS has issued about 3 million passports to Nigerians.
“Last year alone, 1.3 million passports were issued. Also, last time I checked, over 250,000 passports remain uncollected by applicants. There owners will probably be among those complaining they are 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”, Idris noted.
The NIS said its new application system is designed to eliminate personal contact, other than for biometric purpose.
This is to curb corruption, extortion and inflation.
It maintained that a maximum six weeks is reasonable and among the shortest application time in the world.
The NIS meanwhile said it shall continue to frontally address the mounting public concerns over the quality and transparency of its Passport issuance process with a view to enabling a transparent and highly professionalized service delivery.
Nneka Ukachukwu
