In a statement released on Sunday May 8, Jere noted that the
challenge of verifying NIN before the issuance of passport plays a major role
in the passport production line “and more often than not accounts for the
delays.”
He added that the Immigration Service is working with the
National Identity Management Commission to address the challenge, adding that
passport applicants should ensure proper documentation and plan their travels
ahead of time to allow for easy processes.
Jere reiterated that the NIS’ is committed to the
consequence management mechanism, assuring that any personnel found to be
undermining the reform efforts would be punished.
It read;
“There are instances where some applicants approach our
platform with some conflicting data from their original records in our system
and of course, such cases are often difficult to resolve quickly.
“The integration of the online appointment system with the
existing online payment system, has restored orderliness to the passport
offices to a large extent, as applicants can now make payment and choose the
appointment date and time which is convenient for them, thereby reducing the
time they would have spent at the passport offices as each passport office has
been allocated with a daily appointment capacity which was arrived at, based on
analysis.
“It is pertinent to note that between January and April
2022, a total of 478,650 booklets have been distributed across the globe, and I
can assure you that more than 10,000 Nigerians have benefited from this initiative
and it is still ongoing”.
Jere also said the launch of the enhanced electronic
passport in some parts of Nigeria and the United Kingdom had helped to ease the
tension created by the backlogs.