By Chioma Okezie-Okeh
The Acting Comptroller-General of Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Isah Jere Idris, has explained that one of the major reasons for the delay in the processing of passports applications is as a result of the integration of data between NIS and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), which also, in turn, integrate with the BVN data of applicants.
The Acting CGI who stated this during a virtual media interaction on Saturday explained that the single data integration policy of the government is aimed at enhancing the nation’s security architecture to protect the identity of Nigerians.
“Apart from this, because passports confer on holders the integrity of a nation, the integrity of the process of processing and producing such documents should also not be compromised. So, we must verify the addresses of the applicants and there is a company that already does that for us. We must hear from them before we proceed for production,” he stated.
To further minimize the delay, he explained that in the next four weeks NIS will deploy a new system that will enable applicants to validate their national identity numbers before they can proceed to make payment for Passports online and book appointments for capturing. “Most delays are usually caused by the NIN validation problems and what we want to do now will allow individual applicants to, first of all, verify and validate their NIN and only upload validated NIN before they can pay for passports. By doing that, we would have successfully tackled the issue of a delay from other partners which we don’t have control over,” he said.
He also frowned at the increasing number of Nigerians seeking to override the newly introduced appointment system for passport issuance, describing it as an abuse of the system.
“The appointment system was introduced to reduce physical interface with personnel, overcrowding and arbitrariness, which have all consistently combined to promote corruption and abuse.
“Rather than wait for the appointment date for capturing, many Nigerians are seeking to jump the process by turning in myriads of requests for a waiver for all conceivable reasons. There are days that we receive about 1000 such requests on a daily basis. Nigerian passport applicants should stop offering money to immigration officers to expedite the process of acquiring passports. It takes a three-week duration for passport renewal and a six-week duration for new applications. If anyone asks for extra money, please complain to us through our various channels including Twitter. Such an officer will be dealt with,” he stated.
He also advised applicants to take advantage of the passport tracking system and now trace the status of their passports from the comfort of their homes. He said: “What applicants just need to do is to log on to www.trackimmigration.gov.ng and upload their details. This system is already in place and Nigerians should take advantage of using it,”
He also noted that NIS is also speaking with the authorities to grant approval so that anyone seeking expedited action for passport issuance can pay more. He said: “Currently we consider exceptions for medical and admission reasons and override their appointments for applicants in such categories. But there are other Nigerians who are willing to bypass the process and want us to dedicate more time to their applications. We are seeking approval for such individuals to pay more and get their passports more quickly. We need more logistics to do that and if they can pay for it, why not?”
On the scarcity of passport booklet, the Acting CGI blamed that difficulty in accessing forex as one of the major factors. “Booklets are currently being shared both locally and to the embassies of Nigeria globally so that the Nigerians in the diaspora can also be attended to. Access to forex has been difficult for the company handling the passport production project, the process has been cumbersome and discouraging. I want to appeal to Nigerians not to wait till their passport validity has expired before they apply for renewal.”
The Acting CGI said more passport offices are being opened across the country with one already in place in Sagamu, Ogun State, and others being planned for Ilesa in Osun State, Oyo town in Oyo State, and Zaria in Kaduna State, among others.