- As Aregbesola Bags Traditional Title
Abdulazeez Abdukwahab
THE Federal Government has launched an additional Passport Front Office in Auchi, Edo State, as part of its effort towards effective service delivery to Nigerians. This is just as it promised to launch a passport home delivery service.
The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who spoke at the opening of the Nigeria Immigration Service Passport Front Desk Office in Auchi, Edo State, on Saturday, 20th May 2023, said that the government intends to provide the passport for anyone desirous of it within a reasonable time, at an affordable price and without any stress.
According to him, the launch of another Passport Front Desk Office is significant as the Nigerian Passport is proof of existence, especially for those outside the country as the Inability to produce it on demand may bring untoward consequences.
“What we are doing here is significant for two main reasons. The first is the right (and even the necessity) of Nigerians, especially those in the diaspora to hold the Nigerian passport. Except for those travelling outside the country or intending to, most of those who hold a passport do so for identification purposes.
“For some, it is also a thing of pride to be able to brandish the greenback of the passport. But for those outside the country, the passport is the proof of their existence. The inability to produce it on demand may bring untoward consequences. The government, therefore, wants to provide the passport for anyone desirous of it within a reasonable time, at an affordable price and without any stress whatsoever.
“The second is the need, flowing from the first, to break out of the regular“, he maintained.”
Speaking further, the Minister promised to conclude negotiations with NIPOST on the usage of its speedy mail service to start delivering passports to Nigerians who opt for such service.
“We are in the final stage of concluding negotiations with NIPOST to begin using its speed mail service to deliver passports to Nigerians wherever they are in the world after production,” the Minister remarked.
Sola Fasure, Media Adviser to the Minister, in a statement, said Aregbesola, while stating that Edo State has one of the highest passport applications in Nigeria, revealed that the waiting period between application and collection would likely increase due to the recent increase in demand.
In his words; “Our current work schedule is that a fresh application would take six weeks after biometric data registration and three weeks for renewal. This is reasonable, competitive and in line with the global best practices.
“The challenge however is the waiting period at the point of application and data registration. All applicants will be put in a queue, depending on the centre of their choice, to determine the registration date. Regrettably, it might take two months in some highly competitive centres where application is very high. We have no control over this.
He however said that the Federal Government is intentional about opening more front desk offices, in order to increase the registration centres and reduce the waiting period before biometric data capture.
“We project that by the time we open more front offices like this, the waiting period will not be more than three days. Indeed, the more front offices we have, the less the waiting period. Our long-term plan will be to involve private operators who will provide the lounge for a fee, but the equipment and personnel will be provided by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS)”, he added.
Commending the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) for improving on their services, which include the issuance of top-quality passport booklets, Aregbesola affirmed that Nigeria is among the first five countries in the world and the first in Africa to have the enhanced e-passport.
He added that “The reform introduced in the NIS led to the Automated Passport issuance process which has eliminated touts and racketeers in passport administration, the introduction of E-Border Management, MIDAS and the commencement of E-Passport across Passport Control Offices and Diplomatic Missions.
The Minister, therefore, advised applicants not to go through third parties but apply on any internet-enabled device through the Nigeria Immigration Service portal. This is as he lamented the prevalence of a few unscrupulous officials subverting the system, cornering applications, inflating prices, extorting from applicants and hiding already produced passports.
“I will, therefore, plead with applicants not to go through them and other touts hanging around passport offices, soliciting from applicants. The application can be done in your bedroom on your Android phone through the Nigeria Immigration Service portal. You do not need a third party. Those who patronise them are the ones encouraging their nefarious activities and frustrating our efforts at transparency and providing seamless service.”
He also urged applicants to plan for their travelling, as travelling requires long-term planning, whether for education, work, leisure or migration, except for urgent national assignments or medical emergencies.
Recall that this year alone, the Minister of Interior has been in Daura in Katsina State, Alimosho in Lagos, Ilesa in Osun, Zaria in Kaduna and Oyo in Oyo State to commission Passport Front Desk Offices.
Speaking earlier, the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Isah Jere Idris, said that the choice of Auchi is apt, as Edo State ranks fifth amongst states with the highest volume of passport applications locally.
According to him, “In the past 365 days, Edo State has processed 56,291 applications out of the 1.5 million passports produced in Nigeria. The commissioning of this front office will, no doubt, go a long way in reducing the traffic in Edo State and other neighbouring states.”
The NIS CG restated the necessity for prospective applicants to synchronize the data in their passport application with the information in their National Identification Number.
“May I quickly add that for the enhanced e-passport, it is essential to ensure that prospective passport applicants synchronize the data in their passport application with the information in their NIN (National Identification Number).”
While maintaining that the unveiling of front offices and others like it are crucial to achieving the NIS mandate of ensuring that the e-passport issuance process is brought closer to the people, Jere seized the opportunity to affirm the commitment of the Nigeria Immigration Service to meeting the rising demands for Passport services globally, thereby repositioning the Service towards attaining a truly world-class status to compete with its counterparts worldwide.
Meanwhile, during a visit to the Otaru of Auchi’s Palace, the Otaru, HRH, Alhaji Aliru H. Momoh, Ikelebe III, turbaned Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, and then installed him as the Rafeeq of Auchi Sacred Kingdom. The traditional ruler revealed that the title means Ogbeni Aregbesola, a bosom friend of the Auchi Kingdom.
In response, the Minister declared that “Everything happening here today is a surprise to me. I am excited, happy and joyous because it is coming at the right time. The depth of my joy has no words to describe it. When I retire, I plan to always wear my turban as a true and proper Muslim,” the Minister declared.
At the commissioning of the Passport Office were the Deputy and Assistant Comptrollers General of the Nigerian Immigration Service and other sister security agencies in the state.
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