NIS produced 1.9 million passports in 2022

The federal government has said a total of 1.9 million passports were produced by the Nigerian Immigration Service last year (2022), about 80 percent more of the number of travel documents produced in 2021.

Home Affairs Minister Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola made the announcement on Monday at the Commissioning of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Front Desk Office in Alimosho, Lagos State,

The Minister has also opened a new Passport Office in Lagos State as part of his strategy to make passport administration for Nigerians seamless.

He said the development was intended to ease the ever-increasing pressure on the three existing passport control offices in Lagos.

“We are also committed to expanding our passport issuance business to bridge the shortage gap we commonly face in urban centers such as Lagos. It is this need that gave rise to the Alimosho Front Desk Office to relieve the ever-increasing pressure on the three existing passport control offices in Lagos,” he said.

Aregbesola revealed that the NOS is working hard and increasing its capacity to meet the high demand for passports despite the challenges they face.

“The number of applications is increasing at an unprecedented rate every year, due to the tendency of many Nigerians to travel outside the country and those who want to use it as a means of identification.

“Then there is the ‘panic buying’ effect of those who wanted to get hold of the passport because they heard that some people (probably going through touts) were having trouble getting their passports.

“But we have increased our capacity. Last year (2022) we produced 1.9 million passports, up from 1 million in 2021. This is an increase of about 80 percent and it is unprecedented.

However, the minister explained that the Alimosho office is mainly for passport applications and biometric data collection and final issuance, and not for passport production.

Aregbesola also stressed the inevitability of the emergence of private partners to provide space for more front offices in Lagos, due to the funding challenges faced by the government, as this will reduce the waiting time for applications to one week.

“But due to funding issues, the government may not be able to provide these desk offices. We will therefore need private partners who can provide the lounge. Their only involvement will be to provide the space. The offices will continue to be staffed and operated by NIS personnel.

“We definitely need more of this in Lagos. This is because half of all passport applications are made in Lagos. In Lagos alone, we will therefore need as many as 15 of these front offices to reduce the waiting time for applications to one week.

Aregbesola further appealed to applicants to apply themselves on the NIS portal and not to patronize touts and unscrupulous officials.

Media adviser to the Home Secretary, Sola Fasure, said in a statement that Aregbesola had previously instructed the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) headquarters for Lagos in Ikoyi.

He revealed that the appointment of the command is one of the countless development steps taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs in recent times, under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Since my appointment as minister, we have deployed 17 new command structures across the country for the NIS, of which the Lagos Command is the 18th. The determination of President Muhammad Buhari’s administration to ensure that our borders are further secured has led to the establishment of new and upgrading of border control formations to full-fledged commandos. He said.

In his own speech, the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Isah Jere Idris, promised that the agency will continue to provide quality and efficient service to Nigerians in need of its service.

“NOS will continue to provide efficient and effective service to the public and I urge everyone to make use of the numerous grievance mechanisms available to our valued customers who are dissatisfied for any reason with the services provided. services.

“There are many publications, signage and awareness materials on the procedure of getting the Nigeria e-passport. Make use of this information aimed at reducing interference from anyone in the process of applying for said facility. This is aimed at banishing advertising, extortion and other vices,” noted CG Jere.

Further on, the CG warned that the passport office remains a no-go area for passport hunters and extortionists. Claiming that the long arm of the law is catching up will be those who break these rules.

“The passport office remains a no-go area for touts, passport extortionists, false breeder documents and all sorts of other unwanted elements. I want to warn that the long arm of the law and its full force will be visited upon any person who by any act or omission violates the passport offenses stipulated in section 10(1a-h) of the Immigration Act, 2015,” said the CG.

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