Immigration Clears 204,332 Passport Backlogs, Introduces Home Delivery Services – Minister

[keypoints]

• The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) cleared over 204,332 passport backlogs in 10 months and introduced home delivery services for passports.
• Advanced technologies, including GIS and contactless passport systems, have been implemented to improve national security and streamline passport issuance.
• E-gates were installed at five international airports, enhancing the screening process, while international collaborations were strengthened to combat transnational crimes.

[/keypoints]

Nigeria Immigration Service Clears 204,332 Passport Backlogs, Introduces Home Delivery Services—Minister

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has successfully cleared a backlog of over 204,332 passport applications in the past 10 months, according to the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

The announcement was made during a media briefing in Abuja, where the minister outlined the ministry’s achievements over the past year.

Dr. Tunji-Ojo assured Nigerians that with ongoing reforms, passport backlogs will be a thing of the past. “We have introduced measures to ensure that never again will we experience such delays in passport issuance,” he said.

Key reforms include the overhaul of the passport issuance process, which had previously left many Nigerians stranded for months or even years.

In addition to clearing the backlogs, the Nigeria Immigration Service has launched home delivery services for passports, allowing applicants to receive their documents directly at their homes, reducing the stress of long-distance travel and extended waiting periods.

Other notable achievements include the implementation of contactless technology to streamline the passport application process, a new data centre with a storage capacity of 1.4 petabytes for securely managing national biometric data, and the installation of 41 e-gates at five international airports across the country.

These innovations aim to improve efficiency at entry points and provide hassle-free screening for Nigerians returning from abroad.

Dr. Tunji-Ojo also highlighted the ministry’s efforts to enhance national security through advanced border management technologies, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and improved surveillance tools.

Additionally, international partnerships have been strengthened to combat transnational crimes like human trafficking, illegal immigration, and smuggling.

He concluded by emphasising that these reforms have made Nigerian passports more secure and respected globally, aligning them with international standards such as the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Public Key Directory (ICAO PKD).