The federal government has stopped issuance of international passports after shutting down the platform at the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) in the midnight of May 17 to last till May 31, 2021.
THISDAY learnt that the new regime, which would start on June 1, 2021, might entail increase in the cost of passport fees and extension of the period for the processing of the passports.
Informed source from the agency said that from June 1, it would take six weeks to process a passport and applicant would not come to passport office until invited by NIS for collection.
A circular issued to that effect dated May 17, 2021, signed by the Comptroller General of Immigration, NIS, Muhammed Babandede and directed to the Managing Director, Newworks Solution & Investment Limited, stated, “Following the Minister’s directive, I hereby request you to block all payment for application of passports within Nigeria as from today, 17th to 31st May, 2021.
“Consequent upon the foregoing, all PCOs are therefore directed to utilise this period, 17th May, 2021 to 31st May, 2021 to ensure that all backlogs are produced and handed over to command comptrollers for collection by members of the public concerned.”
The letter further stated that accordingly, new applications for passports, whether fresh or renewals “are by this circular suspended till 1st June 2021.”
A senior official of Immigration told THISDAY, “We have millions of passport backlogs, which we must have to clear on or before May 31. The new passport regime will include new passport fees and longer period for processing the passport.
“The applicant is not required to come to the passport office unless when formally invited by immigration through telephone or through messages. This is the avoid the old situation when applicants crowd passport offices, engaging in all kinds of fraudulent activities.”
The informed official also said that during the period of two weeks the system would be shut down, the federal government would lose over N4 billion revenue from passport fees and other services related to issuance of passports.
THISDAY gathered that since last year there has been a spike in the demand of passports by Nigerians but many of those who have completed the requirements are yet to receive their passports so NIS faced piling demand counted in millions because passport booklets were scarce as the producer of the passports, Irish Smart Technology Nigeria was allegedly owed debts that run into millions of dollars by the Ministry of Interior.
Although there were no details whether the federal government has offset the debts owed Irish Smart Technology, but with the increase in the cost of passports, government hopes to boost its revenue from the fees, which would enable it to pay the producers of the passport.
