Four months after the contactless passport application promised by Tunji Ojo, the Minister of Interior, should begin, many applicants still encounter troubles at Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) offices.
The minister had assured Nigerians of a passport application process that would not require a visit to an NIS office, but FIJ found that Nigerians still visit the offices and wait hours to be captured.
In an interview with Channels TV’s Seun Okinbaloye in January, the minister said a time would come when Nigerians would sit in their homes and apply for international passports without visiting NIS offices.
His words:
“Starting March 8, Nigerians will no longer have to come to our offices for their biometrics. They can do it from the comfort of their homes and have their passports delivered to them.
“The whole solution is almost ready. We have phase one, phase two and phase three. This is phase one that we have delivered. Phase two is for the one in the diaspora.
“The one in the diaspora will be delivered on February 8. Then phase three is the contactless biometric, whereby you don’t even need to go again, and that’s March 8.
READ ALSO: REPORTER’S DIARY: I Got International Passport 3 Months After Application — And Not Without Greasing NIS Officers’ Palms
“I guarantee you that in two months, you will sit at home, do your biometrics, fill in your delivery address, and we will send it to you via courier.”
To confirm if the minister had fulfilled these promises to Nigerians, FIJ contacted Nigerians who recently applied for their passports to inquire if they visited any NIS office or the embassy throughout their application process.
Precious (not real name), a Lagos resident who started his application process in May, told FIJ he received his passport two weeks after visiting the Alausa of NIS.
“I began the process by applying online in May. Two weeks later, I visited the passport office for capturing. Although there was a mammoth crowd at the office, I did my capturing and got my Nigerian passport on that same day,” he told FIJ.
His experience proves that the minister’s promise of a contactless passport application process is yet to be fulfilled.
Although Precious got his passport the same day he went for capturing, not everyone has it that easy.
FIJ saw posts of some Nigerians on X, whose experiences, when compared with Precious’s, paint a glum image of the Nigerian passport application process.
READ ALSO: Lawyer ‘About to Lose Significant Job Opportunity’ in Canada Over Nigerian Embassy’s Failure to Renew His Passport
On Monday, an X user said that three months after visiting the NIS office in Ikeja, Lagos, for capturing, he had yet to receive his passport because the staff members had misplaced his file.
@BTOofficial pls sir help us to regulate and look into how the Nigerian passport office as been robbing us for there mistakes .after 3month of capturing they said they misplace the file and ask for money for fast tracking again…i will not stop till i get justice— AKANDA ELEDUMARE OMONLA (@akanda_tv) July 15, 2024
For Nigerians in diaspora, the situation remains what it was in previous years
Benjamin Kuti, the president of Nigerians in the United Kingdom, told FIJ that Nigerians in the UK can not get their passports without visiting the Nigerian High Commission.
When this reporter asked if it was the same for Nigerians in Canada and the United States of America, he replied in the affirmative.
FIJ also saw posts by some Nigerians in the diaspora lamenting their experiences.
@nigimmigration I applied for my Nigerian passport renewal in the London embassy since September 2023 till now July 9th 2024 I am yet to get my passport. I have gone to the office several times but no one wants to help me. Please I need to renew my visa, Nigerians please help me.— zion (@Anna71345Anna) July 9, 2024
On July 9, @Anna71345Anna wrote: “I applied for my Nigerian passport renewal in the London Embassy in September 2023. Until July 9th, 2024, I have yet to get my passport. I have gone to the office several times, but no one wants to help me. I need to renew my visa, Nigerians, please help me.”
When FIJ emailed the Ministry of Interior, this reporter received an error message that read: “The recipient’s mailbox is full and can’t accept messages now. Please try resending this message later or contact the recipient directly.”
FIJ also contacted the ministry via the phone number provided on their website. The staff member who responded told this reporter to visit the ministry’s office in Abuja and book an appointment.
The post RENEWED HOPELESSNESS: Tunji Ojo Promised ‘Contactless’ Application by March. 4 Months After, No Luck appeared first on Exposed.Quest The Quest for X !.