Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has criticised delays in passport processing and warned immigration officials against collecting illegal charges during an unannounced inspection of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) passport office in Gwagwalada, Abuja.
The minister stressed that Nigerians must not be made to pay any amount beyond officially approved passport fees, warning that inefficiency and sharp practices in service delivery would no longer be tolerated.
During the visit, Tunji-Ojo toured the VIP and Children section of the passport office and interacted with immigration officers and passport applicants. He questioned why only a few applicants had been attended to several hours after the office was expected to begin operations.
He expressed concern that despite the section being designated for expedited services, applicants were still waiting long after opening hours, while many others remained unattended downstairs.
By 9:30am, the minister said he expected to see applicants being processed, noting that the responsibility of the service was to ensure efficiency and timely delivery.
Tunji-Ojo also cautioned applicants against paying any unofficial fees and warned officers against demanding money under any guise, including for diesel or consumables.
“Nigerians have paid fully for their passports. They deserve to be served diligently,” he said.
The minister further questioned the slow pace of enrolment and biometric capturing, stating that with proper system management, each applicant should be processed within a few minutes.
In response, immigration officers explained that although operations were scheduled to begin by 8am, activities only commenced around 9am after a generator was powered, citing challenges with electricity supply.
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