Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Consulate General of Nigeria in New York, United States of America, has called on holders of the over 1,000 e-passports currently in its custody, to appear for collection.
The call, Daily Sun gathered, was necessitated by the nuisance value of the situation at the consulate.
The Consul-General of Nigeria in New York, Benaoyagha Okoyen, in a statement, said backlogs of passport and visa applications were continuously cleared by the consulate in line with laid down procedures of the government.
He disclosed that the consulate had always adopted best standard and best practices found in any other consulates regarding e-passport and visa procurement.
“Despite the pressure and challenges of December rush in New York, occasioned by the temporary lack of e-passport booklets in other missions in USA, no charge of $200 or any other fee is made by applicants for same day e-passport service. We have also worked hard to ensure that New York Consulate never runs short of e-passport booklets to avoid any disruption in our services.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the consulate fully keys into the anti-corruption agenda of the Federal Government of Nigeria and will, therefore, spare no one in the consulate against whom any allegation of unethical practice can be proven.”