In a bold move to ease the burden on passport applicants, Interior Minister Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has declared the N5,000 “Compliance Fee” charged by some Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) personnel as illegal. This groundbreaking decision comes as the government takes a stand against unnecessary fees and long waiting times at passport offices.
The Interior made the declaration while responding to questions by Vanguard.
“Compliance fee? I am hearing it for the first time. We will plead with Nigerians to assist us to succeed. Do not pay compliance fee, if there is anything like that. Do not pay for your rights. There is nothing in the books that is compliance fee. Please, let us educate our people to know”, he stated.
Upon taking office, Minister Tunji-Ojo was appalled by the endless queues at immigration passport offices, likening it to Nigerians waiting for passports to heaven.
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He recognized the urgent need to reduce waiting times for passport processing, emphasizing the plight of the average Nigerian in this process. Despite previous timelines set by his predecessor, over 204,000 applications remained unprocessed as of September 2023.
Acting Comptroller General of Immigration, Caroline Wuraola-Adepoju who explained the reasons for the increased backlogs, said the urge by young Nigerians to move out of the country, popularly referred to as the “Japa Syndrome”, led to increased applications since 2021.
The minister went ahead to explain a similar scenerio: “My daughter waited for six months to get her passport booklet. I was the House committee chairman on NDDC. I faced this, tell me what an average Nigerian would face. It is like we are waiting for a passport to heaven,”
Minister Tunji-Ojo hinted at the possibility of introducing a fast-track service in the future, catering to those with urgent passport needs. However, he assured that security vetting and fairness to all Nigerians would not be compromised.
Additionally, the ministry has introduced the Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) to enhance border control and management, allowing profiling and decision-making before travelers arrive in Nigeria.
According to him, APIS would allow the Service “to profile people and take decisions on them before they arrive our shores”.
To decongest immigration offices and improve accessibility, the minister is collaborating with the NIS and partners to provide passport delivery services to applicants’ homes or preferred addresses. More Passport Front Offices will be established, bringing the service closer to Nigerians, reducing travel costs, risks, and inconveniences.
“We have told the service providers too and they pleaded from now till February. I have added a month to them, that is March. If they don’t deliver, they would have to go and then we will get people that can deliver because the efficiency of the NIS and Nigeria cannot be sacrificed on the altar of any contract.
“We have gone through all the contracts signed by government with all service providers. We have analyzed the scope of work and performances and based on that, we have given them marching orders”, he stated.
“We have looked at the contract on courier delivery of passports. Like now, those who want the service should be able to get their passports in their offices or homes. They do not have to travel back to the immigration offices to get their passports.”
“Somebody cannot live in Akoko, my village for instance, and he needs to travel to Akure, the state capital, just for the sake of biometrics. The cost of travelling, the risks to life and the inconveniences – these are the issues we are trying to tackle.
“So, the passport front offices and our foreign missions, people travel from an extreme part of Canada with their young children and the elderly and they need to fly or travel by road to our mission to get passports. So, from next year, we will activate the passport front offices. We have giving our service providers a standing instruction.”
In an effort to improve transparency and efficiency, plans are underway to implement a mobile-based passport tracking system, enabling applicants to monitor their application status without waiting for SMS notifications. To address concerns and complaints, a dedicated desk has been established within the ministry, and applicants can reach out via SMS, WhatsApp, or email.
“We are also looking at having a passport tracking system that can be done via mobile phones. Nigerians should be able to know the status of their applications without having to wait for any SMS and if there is an unnecessary delay, then we can escalate.
“For complaints, we have a desk in the ministry here. The number is 0802 375 3414, preferably SMS and Whatsapp. We also have an email address [email protected] “We have designated somebody to be in charge of these complaints here in the ministry. That is her only job”, he added.
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