"We Are 99% Done": FG Announces Upgrade to International Airports, Gives Implementation Date

• The Interior minister announced that passport application automation is almost completed
• He also announced that the ministry is working on e-gate systems in international airports
• He said Nigerians no longer have a cause to visit immigration centres except for biometrics

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, has said that the automation of Nigeria's passport application is set for completion.

In an interview on Channels Television's Politics Today, the minister said that the automated application would be finally completed in a week, and Nigeria's international airports would be upgraded.

International airports upgrade with e-gate system

He also announced that starting February next year,

During the interview, the minister disclosed that by the first quarter of next year, some upgrades will be installed at international airports in Nigeria.

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He said that by February 2024, the e-gate systems would be installed at international airports in the country.

He said:

By February, all our international airports will have e-gates. Once you are a Nigerian coming to Nigeria, you have no business seeing an immigration officer except if you are a person of interest.

Passport automation to be ready soon

The automation means that soon, Nigerians will no longer have a reason to visit immigration centres except for fingerprint biometrics for their passports.

The minister said that the development would allow Nigerians to upload their passport photographs and other supporting documents from the comfort of their homes.

He said:

“We gave a date — December 2023. We are 99% done. We have done the testing and we should be going live in the next week or thereabouts.

“This will ensure that what Nigerians need to do at an immigration centre is just fingerprint biometrics.

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“Everything regarding pre-biometrics will be done in the comfort of your homes, including uploading passport photographs and supporting documents.

This comes as the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) recently warned Nigerians against paying agents to obtain passports.

Nigerian passport devalued further, ranks among worst 20 to hold in the world

Legit.ng reported that Nigerian passport holders have one headache to contend with apart from the hassles they go through to obtain the green document, as the number of countries they enter visa-free has reduced to just 44.

According to a recently released quarterly Henley Passport Index, Nigeria is ranked bottom among countries with one of the 20 worst passports to hold in 2023, with visa-free entry to just 44 nations.

Several countries have stopped issuing holders of Nigerian passports visas on arrival or e-visas.

Source: Legit.ng