Immigration Service To Initiate Best Practices For Passport Applications – Aregbesola

The Nigerian Immigration Service has perfected plans to clear the backlog of passport applications and ensure smooth and seamless application process/delivery of the Nigerian passport.

As gathered by EKO HOT BLOG, this was disclosed by the Minister of interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, during the inaugural Diaspora Quarterly Lecture Series organized by Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).

Aregbesola said Nigeria Immigration Service is planning the establishment of non judgmental front dest offices at major international airports in Nigeria to deal with issues of passport applications.

The Minister stated that expired Passports can be renewed on arrival at Nigerian airports.

He also noted that, henceforth, all payments related to passport applications are to be made online, and that it is now possible to pick up temporary one-way passports from High Commissions to travel to Nigeria.

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With the new development, all passport issuance processes will take not more than 6 weeks. Also, every Nigerian local government will have a passport issuance support centre.

The Minister also noted that passport booklet production is being moved to Nigeria to remove the constant shortage problems and that all backlogs of passports applications due to COVID to be cleared by end of May.

The latest stipulations on passport application comes with a huge sigh of relief, particularly to Nigerians living abroad. In recent times, there has been a barrage of complaints by Nigerians living in the U.K with regard to the extortion and exploitation faced at the Nigerian High Commission in the U.K in the process of renewing their Nigerian passports.