The federal government has announced a two-week timeline for passport issuance, putting an end to long waiting periods.
Touchaheart Nigeria Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, shared this announcement in Abuja during a briefing on the directive he gave to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to clear over 204,000 passport application backlogs.
“No one will ever wait for two weeks to get passports again. If you apply and have been captured, you will get your passport within two weeks,” he assured, adding that the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) had cleared all the 204,332 passport application backlogs.
The minister expressed apologies for the clearance taking three weeks instead of the initially set two weeks and commended NIS personnel for their efforts.
He emphasized that acquiring a passport is a right for every Nigerian, while visa procurement is a privilege.
The backlogs were cleared through increased printing capacity and round-the-clock work by NIS staff.
The minister said all 204,332 backlogged applications were cleared by October 1, with 91,981 passports already collected and 112,351 passports available.
