In a press conference held in Abuja on Wednesday, Minister of Interior Bunmi Tunji-Ojo announced a two-week deadline for the processing of Nigerian passports. Tunji-Ojo revealed that the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) successfully cleared a backlog of over 204,000 passport applications within the last three weeks.
Expressing regret for the delay, the minister apologized to Nigerians, stating, “On September 7, we made a promise to sort out the backlogs in two weeks but we made it in three weeks, and I sincerely want to apologize to Nigerians for that.”
Highlighting the commitment of the Renewed Hope administration led by President Bola Tinubu, Tunji-Ojo emphasized that passports are a right, not a privilege. He stated, “The issue of passports must be a fight and not a privilege. Visa is a privilege but a passport is a right, and we are happy that today, we have been able to handle over the rights of Nigerians to them.”
Acknowledging the challenges inherited, the minister detailed the efforts undertaken to address the backlog, including strategic meetings with NIS and collaboration with service providers to increase printing machines from two to four, provided at no cost.
Tunji-Ojo commended the NIS personnel for their dedication, working in three shifts around the clock to clear the backlogs and ensure efficient passport production. He assured Nigerians, saying, “We want to ensure that nobody waits for more than two weeks to get their passports.”
Providing an update on the progress, the minister announced, “As of October 1, we had cleared all the 204,332 backlogs, and from the records produced by NIS, the number of passports already collected is 91,981. Outstanding but available is 112,351.”
In conclusion, Minister Tunji-Ojo urged Nigerians to visit NIS offices for passport collection, emphasizing that no payments should be made. He urged citizens to report any officials engaged in racketeering and provided contact details for complaints: 0802 375 3414 (preferably SMS and Whatsapp) or email aa-ajiboye@yahoo.com.
