Passport Offices to Now Open in Hotels, Banks as Delay Lingers
- The ministry of internal affairs said Nigerians can now obtain passports in banks and hotels
- According to the ministry, it will open about 1,000 offices in those places to reduce backlogs
- The minister of internal affairs, Rauf Aregbesola, asked Nigerians not to wait long before approaching the nearest offices
To accelerate the issuance of passports in Nigeria, the Nigerian government, via the ministry of internal affairs, wants to open 1,000 passport offices in banks and hotels across the country.
The interior ministry said the move would reduce hardships and frustrations experienced by passport seekers who wait in long queues and are forced to bribe passport officials to facilitate passport issuance.
Source: Getty Images
No more bribes in passport offices
BusinessDay report said the minister of internal affairs, Rauf Aregbesola, represented at the October breakfast of the Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce in Lagos, said the move would boost the number of passport offices in Nigeria from the current 50.
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Aregbesola acknowledged the frustrations and long queues at the passport offices and expressed optimism this would ease things before the year ends.
Premium lounges to accelerate passport issuance
He said the plan to open more processing centres would also lead to the introduction of premium lounges for rapid passport services across Nigeria for Nigerians seeking to get or renew their passports.
The minister admitted there are bad eggs in the ministry seeking to frustrate reforms but said he would defeat them.
The erstwhile Osun State governor urged passport-seeking Nigerians to approach the nearest passport offices immediately.
Nigerians rush to obtain passports; immigration says issuance has risen by 38 per cent
Legit.ng reported that a recent report says that the number of passports issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) increased by 38 per cent between 2020 and 2021.
Passport issuance increased from 767,164 in 2021 to 1,059,697 in 2021.
The Punch reports that data from the NIS shows that the passport types range from standard, official, diplomatic, emergency travel certificates or conventional documents.
Source: Legit.ng
