The Federal Government has announced a two-week timeline for the processing of passport applications, saying the era of Nigerians waiting for months to get their international passports is over.
According to Vanguard, the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at a media parley to review his directive to the Nigeria Immigration Service NIS to clear over 204,000 backlog of passport applications.
According to him, while procurement of visas is a privilege, acquiring international passports is a right.
He also expressed the commitment of President Bola Tinubu to not increase the cost of passport application in spite of the foreign exchange volatility.
He said; “On September 7, we made a promise to sort out the backlogs in two weeks but we made it in three weeks and I sincerely want to apologize to Nigerians for that.
“The Renewed Hope administration of President Bola Tinubu is one that matches its words with actions. The issue of passport must be a fight and not a privilege. Visa is a privilege but passport is a right and we are happy that today, we have been able to handle over the rights of Nigerians to them.
“For us, we are assured that if it can work in NIS, it can work anywhere else. Nigeria is undergoing a process.
“We inherited 204,332 enrolments without passports being issued. People that had applied and captured. That was the figure and we gave a marching order because the president was also on our necks to bring solutions and succour to Nigerians.”
