Nigerians to Get Passport Within Two Weeks, Says Minister of Interior

The minister of interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has assured Nigerians that they will no longer have to wait for the usually long period to get their passport.

He said that once someone applies for a passport and gets captured, they should expect their passports within two weeks.

The minister made this statement on Wednesday in Abuja, while speaking to pressmen. He said that this development is coming barely a month after he directed the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to clear all passport backlogs.

He said that this was part of the efforts to clear all the bottlenecks in passport processing in the country.

“No one will ever wait for two weeks to get passports again. If you apply and have been captured, you will get your passport within two weeks.”

Tunji-Ojo also revealed that the NIS had cleared all the 204,332 passport application backlogs. He said that the NIS had worked in three shifts to achieve this feat and to ensure that there will be no more backlog in the future. He said that this was not a temporary relief but a permanent solution.

The minister further disclosed that the NIS would reinforce its system to improve its services. He said that from December 2023, applicants would not be required to go to passport offices to be captured. He said that people would be able to upload their passport and supporting documents online. Only biometrics would be taken at the passport office.

He added: “We are introducing passport front offices where people can go and process their passport close to where they reside. Solution providers have been given three months to activate this, or their contract will be revoked.”

He said that these measures would help to speed up the passport application process.

The minister also urged Nigerians to report any officer who asks for bribes to process their passports. He said that they can reach his ministry through 08023753414 and [email protected] to lodge their complaints.

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