The Federal Government has declared that the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) will boost its daily passport production to 24,000 as soon as current application backlogs are addressed.
In a recent meeting with a delegation from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) in Abuja, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, conveyed that roughly 97,000 of the 200,000 passport application backlogs have already been processed.
According to a statement released by the ministry’s Director of Press, Ajibola Afonja, Tunji-Ojo emphasized the President’s commitment to national development and the importance of eliminating task redundancy between the agency and the ministry.
Highlighting the ongoing reforms within the NIS concerning passport issuance, the minister said, “By this morning (Friday), we’ve addressed about 97,000 passport applications. Once we’ve cleared all backlogs, we will enhance our daily production capacity to 24,000 passports.”
Furthermore, Tunji-Ojo called upon the UNODC to assist in providing skill training for inmates in correctional centers. He underscored the vision of these facilities as centers of reformation, urging that they should not merely be viewed as punishment zones. He also advocated for collaboration between the ministry and the UN agency to streamline intervention programs, ensuring their efficacy and transparency.
In response, the UNODC team leader, Mr. Oliver Stolpe, acknowledged the purpose of their visit was to explore potential collaboration points and to outline areas where the UNODC has already offered assistance.