As it launches the new enhanced e-Passport, the Federal Government reiterated its commitment to improving the passport application process for Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora.
The Minister of Interior Affairs, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, made this known in a statement signed by Mr Sola Fasure, his Media Adviser, in Abuja.
The assurance was given by the minister during the official launch of the enhanced e-Passport at the Nigerian High Commission in London, UK.
He stated that it was the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s responsibility to provide passports to its citizens in a timely and stress-free manner.
“What we have come to do here is symbolic of the Ministry of Interior Affairs’ core mandate, as well as the Federal Government’s affirmation of citizenship integrity.”
“The Nigerian passport is the ultimate proof of Nigerian citizenship.” As a result, it is our responsibility to provide the passport without undue delay and within a reasonable time frame,” the minister stated.
He noted that there had been significant challenges to passport administration, ranging from a lack of booklets to touting and a corrupt economy built around it.
He claimed that these difficulties had persisted for far too long, adding that many people had become cynical while others had accepted them as normal.
“However, I come from a problem-solving tradition in public administration, and I do not believe that any problem is insurmountable.”
“So we’re going to solve all of the problems with passport administration, and we’re already succeeding,” he said.
He claimed that the new enhanced passport was a vast improvement over the standard passport introduced in 2007 because it included more sophisticated security features, making it one of the world’s most secure passports.
According to the minister, the enhanced e-Passport is a significant improvement over the Biometric Passport technology that Nigeria implemented in 2007 as a strategic step to combat forgery and impersonation.
He stated that this included other types of fraud related to obtaining travel documents under the old Machine Readable Passport regime.
‘We are aware that technology rules the world, and we stay up to date on the latest developments in the field.’
Over the years, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has worked diligently and collaboratively with Messrs Iris Smart Technologies Ltd. to develop and implement passport reforms that are consistent with international best practices.
“This includes current International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Standards and Regulations,” he explained.
Aregbesola stated that the NIS, under his leadership, had issued 2.7 million Nigerian passports in the last two years and had taken significant steps to address the issue of passport booklet shortages.
“This year, the ministry approved the distribution of over 600,000 booklets, the largest number of its kind ever.”
But that’s not all. The Nigeria Immigration Service, via MIDAS, is now linked to INTERPOL and can transmit real-time data on lost, stolen, and invalidated passports to the agency.
“The Ministry of Interior Affairs has consistently provided an enabling environment for the NIS to undertake and implement a number of reforms,” the minister said.
He stated that this was especially true for border management and passport administration, as well as internal monitoring and control mechanisms, in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery to Nigerians and foreigners.
According to the statement, the NIS’s Acting Comptroller General, DCG Isa Jere, stated that the service was prepared to meet the demand for passports in the United Kingdom.
He also stated that the service was prepared to issue new passports in the future at the official rate published on the NIS website.
“We are ready to serve the public and begin implementing the new enhanced e-passport in the United Kingdom immediately.”
Our employees are experts who will provide exceptional service to our citizens.
“Those with any complaints are advised to use the publicly listed complaint channels to adequately resolve any issues raised,” Jere said.
The event was attended by the Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Amb. Sarafa Tunji Isola, as well as senior Nigerian diplomats, according to the statement.
Others, it said, included members of the Diplomatic Corps and Nigerians in the Diaspora.