Nigeria’s contactless passport application to live in January 2025, says Interior minister

• The minister acknowledged initial technical issues with the contactless passport renewal system in Canada, but assured that glitches have been fixed through patching and continuous corrections on the system.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has announced that the federal government will introduce a contactless passport application process in four states starting January 2025.

Speaking on The Morning Show, Tunji-Ojo revealed that the pilot phase will be launched in Lagos, Abuja, Rivers, and Kano states.

The contactless passport application service will be expanded globally to Nigerians residing in the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, and France, following its successful debut in Canada.

Tunji-Ojo explained that the phased rollout enables the government to fine-tune the system, ensuring its dependability before expanding access nationwide.

“I come from a tech management consulting background and in my experience, you don’t launch a project of that magnitude all over at the same time,” Tunji-Ojo said.

“There will be what we call the system shock and once there’s a system shock, it erodes the benefit that you aim to derive.

“So, we decided that before we open it up to the entire world, let’s start with Canada. And as I speak to you, we’re already producing passports based on the contactless system in Canada.

“By January, we’re taking it to four countries, which include UK, United States, Italy, and France. And of course, in Nigeria, we’re opening it up in Lagos, Abuja, Rivers, and Kano.”

Tunji-Ojo acknowledged initial technical issues with the contactless passport renewal system in Canada but assured that the glitches have been resolved through patching and continuous system updates.

He noted that once the system is perfected, it will become “a legacy for this particular administration and something Nigerians can be proud of forever.”

“This is why we have adopted a cautious approach towards the project or else people will jump on it and at the end of the day, the frustration can even lead to the failure of the process,” Tunji-Ojo added.