The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola has ordered that passport applicant should not pay to any immigration staff for issuance of passport whereas they would be charged for bribery.
Aregbesola gave the warning at the unveiling of the enhanced e-Passport facility and commissioning of the passport production centre at the Enugu Passport Office.
He advised prospective applicants to always apply and make payments for the various categories of Passport they desire online and process their application via Passport portal at passport.immigration.gov.ng.
The minister, who regretted some of the challenges and irregularities Nigerians have had to pass through to procure their passports, explained that the online application system “is designed to eliminate personal contact, other than for biometric purpose.”
“Promising an applicant an express service, therefore, is a scam. It is bound to end in disappointment, and for most part, it does. I will appeal, therefore, to applicants to follow the path we provide through the online portal. That is the only reliable and assuring path to procuring a Nigerian passport.
“If you pay money to any Immigration staff, you can be arrested and charged for bribery and inducement.”
“Today’s event is unique in many ways. The most important is making the enhanced e-Passport available to the good people of the South East. 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 Organisation.
“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. They need travel document. It is our responsibility to provide it for them within the shortest possible time, at a reasonable price and without any hassle,” Aregbesola said.
In his address, the Acting Comptroller General of NIS, Isah Idris, promised Nigerians better service delivery with the introduction of the online passport processing.
Idris disclosed that between 2019 and now, the NIS had issued about three million passports to Nigerians. “Last year alone, 1.3 million passports were issued, while over 250,000 passports remain uncollected by applicants.
“Their 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. They may not know because they applied through touts and other illegal channels,” he said.
