Nigerians in the United Kingdom have criticised the organisation of the Nigeria Immigration Service’s passport intervention exercise in Manchester, alleging long delays and poor coordination at the centre.
The exercise, which began on September 7 and is scheduled to run until September 19, was introduced to address outstanding passport applications, renewals and other pending cases.
But applicants who turned up for their scheduled appointments complained that the process was moving slowly despite completing online bookings and payments.
Some applicants said they arrived at the centre in the morning but remained unattended for hours.
One person at the venue reported that by 11:30am, those who had arrived around 9am were still waiting without significant progress.
“It is now 11:30 a.m., and people who arrived as early as 9:00 a.m. are still waiting, with nothing happening,” the person said in a post from the venue.
By 2pm, another account claimed only about 12 applicants had been attended to, while some Nigerians were said to have arrived as early as 5am to secure access to the service.
The complaints also highlighted the difficulties faced by elderly applicants, including some who reportedly travelled from places such as Aberdeen for the intervention.
A Nigerian community advocate known as the Oluomo of Derby described the situation as unacceptable, noting that applicants had made arrangements to attend the exercise, including taking time away from work and travelling considerable distances.
“This is not the way to treat Nigerians who have taken time off work, travelled long distances, and paid for passport services,” he said.
He called for better preparation and communication during intervention exercises, as well as improved crowd management and service delivery.
“We need proper planning, better organisation, clear communication, and an efficient system that respects people’s time and dignity,” he said.
The situation reportedly escalated after UK police and the owner of the facility were said to have become involved.
A complainant alleged that the facility owner claimed payment had not been made, while concerns were also raised about staffing levels and security arrangements at the venue.
“You successfully embarrassed us in front of the UK police and a Lebanese owner because of your incompetence,” the complainant said.
The reported difficulties have renewed calls from affected Nigerians for the immigration authorities to improve the planning and coordination of passport intervention exercises abroad.
The Manchester exercise is expected to continue through September 19, with applicants urging the authorities to address the reported operational challenges and ensure the initiative achieves its aim of clearing the passport backlog.
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