The Federal Government has expressed dismay over difficult circumstances Nigerians go through to obtain a passport, warning that the era where citizens queue endlessly to get the document must stop.

Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who spoke at a meeting with acting Comptroller General of Immigration, Adepoju Carol Wura-Ola, and Controller General of Nigerian Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa, urged the Nigeria Immigration Service to make the process seamless and ensure the document is available to applicants in record time.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the minister, Alao Babatunde, in Abuja, yesterday, said Tunji-Ojo also charged agency heads under the ministry to walk the talk, stressing that the country is at a critical point, and is in dire need of transformation.

The minister reiterated the order of President Bola Tinubu to have all hands on deck and actualise the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration.

The minister said: “I am just returning from a meeting with the President. He is not interested in excuses. We must work and deliver. Anyone who cannot help Nigeria to record progress must be kicked out because we can actually be great.

“Let me know your challenges. I am here to help you solve them. When you solve them and record successes, I am also successful. The time of talks is gone. So, keep your talk. Let us discuss solutions”

“Nigerians should not have to queue endlessly to get passports. No, this must stop. This is not the Nigeria of our dreams. I need to know the challenges the agency is facing.

“We must all come together to deploy and invest our expertise to resolve them. Nigerians will take us up on our promises. If we have officers who are not ready for this rigorous process, we will excuse them.”

The minister also underscored the importance of leveraging technology as a means to enhance efficiency and accuracy. According to him, “technology has the potential to revolutionise our immigration and correctional systems, making them more agile and responsive.”