January 20, (THEWILL) — The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Tuesday, berated officials of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) over delays in passport processing during an unscheduled visit to the Passport Office in Gwagwalada, Abuja, warning applicants against paying any money outside official charges.
The minister inspected operations at the VIP and Children sections of the facility, interacted with officials and applicants, and expressed displeasure that only a few people had been attended to hours after the office was expected to commence operations.
Tunji-Ojo told the officers that applicants had already paid fully for passport services online and should not be subjected to extortion or unnecessary delays. He charged applicants to report any request for extra payments.
Receiving feedback from those on the queue, the minister questioned immigration officers on the slow pace of enrolment and biometric capturing, noting that each applicant should ordinarily be processed within minutes under standard operating procedures.
Officials admitted that although the office was scheduled to open by 8:00 a.m., operations only began around 9:00 a.m. due to delays in switching on the generator.
The minister also criticised the practice of completing enrolment for all applicants before commencing biometric capturing, insisting that both processes should be carried out simultaneously to reduce waiting time.
Describing the situation as unacceptable, Tunji-Ojo said the delays defeated the purpose of public service delivery and directed immigration authorities to immediately streamline operations to ensure faster and more efficient passport processing nationwide.
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