FG Unveils e-passport Facility in Enugu, to Tackle Racketeering

Gideon Arinze in Enugu

As part of efforts to curb passport racketeering, the federal government yesterday unveiled an enhanced passport facility and passport production centre at the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Enugu State Command.

Speaking during the unveiling of the facility, which is expected to cover the South-east region, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, said the introduction of the e-passport was part of the current administration’s resolve to stamp out corruption as well as position the NIS to serve Nigerians better and preserve the integrity of the Nigerian passport.

According to him, “The introduction of the e-passport has made the application process easier as Nigerians can now apply from the comfort of their homes with their National Identification Number (NIN) and pay the money required.

“We want Nigerians to utilise the online payment options, no applicant should pay money to anybody. Only those who have paid online and concluded their process will be attended to.”

Aregbesola explained that applicants can only come to the office to take their photographs and their biometrics for verification after they have booked an appointment, adding that excellent service delivery will henceforth not be compromised.

The minister noted that with the unveiling of the e-passport, Enugu State and the Southeast joined Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano, whose e-passport facilities are already up and running.

He said the-passport comes in three categories, including 32 pages with five years validity, 64 pages with five years validity and 64 pages with 10 years validity.

Aregbesola maintained that the NIS would continue to address public concerns over the quality and transparency of the issuance process to ensure a high sense of professionalism on the part of officers and other agencies under its watch.

“The introduction of the e-passport will help us sustain the renewable period of three weeks and the six weeks period for new applications,” he said, adding that: “The process will also allow applicants to track the process of their application.”

Additionally, he noted that the new systems would also tackle the challenge of a backlog of passports, adding that over 250,000 produced remain uncollected across the country.

Earlier in his address, the Comptroller of NIS, Enugu State Command, Joachim Olumba, said the agency was determined to serve Nigerians responsibly and with a great sense of honesty with the e-passport.

“Soon, Nigerians will begin to enjoy the benefits the e-passport, which includes reliability and flexibility,” he said.

On his part, the state Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, thanked the NIS for its efforts to ensure that the passport application process is seamless for Nigerians.

Ugwuanyi, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Simon Ortuanya, said the state is committed to partnering the NIS to carry out its duties responsibly.