NIGERIA: FG Ends Passport Production at Multiple Centres After 62 Years

By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria 

The Federal Government has officially centralised Nigeria’s passport production for the first time in 62 years, ending the practice of producing passports at multiple centres across the world.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Thursday during an inspection of the newly built Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) headquarters in Abuja.

The Minister was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, and the Comptroller General of the NIS, Kemi Nanna Nandap.

Journalists from various newsrooms were also taken on a tour of the facility, with technical partners providing explanations on its operations.

Dr. Tunji-Ojo described the project as a landmark reform in Nigeria’s passport administration, noting that the development was achieved at no cost to government.

He said: “As the Minister of Interior, I make bold to say that the #RenewedHope of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) has lived up to its promise of transparency and accountability, and with this new facility housing high-speed machines, Nigerians can be assured that our passport production capability has just gotten better.”

He added that the facility will significantly boost the efficiency of passport delivery.

“With these strategic infrastructural investment, which did not cost a kobo to the government, the NIS can now personalise over 1,000 passports in one hour,” the Minister stated.

Putting the achievement in perspective, Dr. Tunji-Ojo explained the leap in capacity.

He noted: “Long before this development, the service can only record an average of 250–300 passports daily. But, today, under 5 work hours, the service can now deliver about 4,500 to 5,000 passports.”

Highlighting the historical significance, he said: “As a major milestone, for the first time in 62 years of the service, this centralisation puts an end to the production of our passports at multiple centres across the world.”

The Minister further assured that the reform will drastically cut waiting times for applicants and improve efficiency.

Tunji-Ojo buttressed: “It is equally important to note that this development will help us deliver passports faster to applicants and drastically cut down on waiting time in our bid to put an end to needless delays that once riddled the passport acquisition process.”

Declaring the project fully operational, Tunji-Ojo concluded: “The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services.”