NIS: Over 100,000 passports uncollected

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) says 112,351 passports are yet to be collected by applicants across the country.

The Acting Comptroller General of NIS, Wura-Ola Adepoju, said this at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, October 5, 2023.

Adepoju stated that the figure was as of October 5, 2023, saying the Service cleared all the 204,332 passport application backlogs after the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo’s two-week deadline to the Service.

“91,981 passport booklets have been collected so far. There are 112,351 others not yet collected,” she said.

The NIS boss called on applicants to go to their respective application centres to collect the travel document.

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“I invite applicants who have applied for passports to come and pick them up without paying anything extra,” Adepoju said.

She stated that there was a high demand for travel documents in the last few years as a result of the ‘Japa syndrome’ in Nigeria, assuring that the two-week timeline set by the minister for the processing of passports would be adhered to.

“The Service and its partners had upgraded their facilities to meet the demand for the document by Nigerians.

“NIS is working with its partners to make the passport application process fully automated and when the process is completed, an applicant would only visit a passport office for biometric capturing,” the NIS CG said.

Adepoju warned applicants to shun touts, urging them to contact the Service via 08067761196 if any personnel demand for bribe from them to get a passport.

“Any personnel caught demanding bribe would be severely punished; the minister has directed that we make scapegoat of any corrupt official caught,” she added.

The Star