- He lamented that there was a duplication of registration of identity numbers country including the BVN in the bank, passport, the NIN, and SIM card registration by telecommunication companies
Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, announced that starting February 2024, Nigerians will receive their passports at their preferred locations, be it their homes, offices, or other designated places.
During the opening ceremony of the University of Lagos International Week themed ‘Breaking the Borders of Partnership’ on Monday, Tunji-Ojo highlighted that by January of the upcoming year, Nigerians will have the convenience of completing their passport application process online.
He said, “We have commenced the automation of our end-to-end passport application process, and we have given a timeline from which Nigerians will begin to experience the ‘sweet experience’.
“By implication, Nigerians will not need to wait longer than two weeks before they get their passport. By January next year, Nigerians will be able to complete this application process online, and by February next year, with collaboration and partnership with other relevant stakeholders, Nigerians will have their passports delivered to their homes, offices, and other locations of their choice.
“This, of course, would be extended to our visa application process. We are deploying technology throughout the entire process to make it as seamless as possible. To achieve this, we have set everything in motion to open 12 more visa application centres across the world. In this regard, we are also working on strengthening our visa-on-arrival policy. We are working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enforce the principle of reciprocity, and a committee has been set up in the ministry to achieve this.”
He lamented that there was a duplication of registration of identity numbers country including the BVN in the bank, passport, the NIN, and SIM card registration by telecommunication companies.
Tunji-Ojo revealed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had given the directive for the harmonisation of the various identity numbers in the country.
Identity is who we are, what we are, and what we live for. But today, what we have is a duplication of our registration. We have the BVN in the bank, the passport, the NIN, SIM card registration by telcos, and so on, all of which request your data. The integrity of our travel documents must be restored through the harmonisation of our data.
“We have the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, under the Renewed Hope Agenda, to harmonise the country’s database. When we harmonise our data, there will be an exchange amongst agencies such that when our people need data for passport and visa applications, or BVN, with their NIN, their data can be pulled out. This will not only save us stress, cost, and energy but also help us optimise our processes and the country’s security architecture,” the minister said.