…. 250,000 passports unclaimed, awaiting collection
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola has given possible reasons why there may be delays in passports issuance in the country.
The minister announced on Thursday that despite complaints from Nigerians on unnecessary delays in issuance of passports, 250,000 passports are unclaimed and ready for collection in the country.
Aregbesola made this known at the commissioning of the passport production centre at the Enugu passport office and unveiling of the enhanced electronic passport facility.
Recall that Nigerians have lambasted the authorities and bemoaned delays in passports issuance, alleging corrupt procedures in the process.
Speaking on this issue and why there are delays, the interior mimister said, The last time I checked, over 250,000 passports remain uncollected by applicants.
“Their owners will probably be among those complaining they are yet to receive their passports. Nevertheless, many applicants are not going to have their passports because of the errors in their applications, which delayed processing.
“They may not know because they applied through touts and other illegal channels,” he said
The passport production centre which was inaugurated three months after the commissioning of that of the Southwest in Ibadan, is to serve entire Southeastern Nigeria.
Aregbesola, who said the federal government was working to phase out the old electronic passports, said its issuance in the Southeast stopped on Thursday 3rd March 2022.
He said the introduction of the enhanced electronic passports was to eradicate scams, racketeering and all other forms of corruption in the application process of the document.
While warning Nigerians not to patronise touts and Nigeria Immigration Service officials, he said that all transactions must be done online.
Speaking at the event, the acting Comptroller General of NIS, Isah Jere Idris, said the new enhanced electronic passport is of a polycarbonate technology with additional 25 security features over the old electronic passport.
According to the Idris, Nigeria is the first country in Africa to migrate to the type of passport. The enhanced electronic passport comes in three categories; the 32-page five-year validity, the 64-page five-year validity and the 64-page 10-year validity.
“It is the latest passport technology…It is difficult to forge as the improved security features will make any attempt not only impossible but also easily noticeable,” he said.
