Plans of the federal government to drastically cut down the process time of the passport will take a new dimension on January 8, 2024, as the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo announced that the automation of the application process will begin in the second week of January.
Ojo made the announcement on Monday in Abuja while inspecting facilities of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
The minister assured that the automation process will involve applicants to file their application without requiring the involvement of a third party, as was the practice before now when immigration officers would be the one to physically handle the process.
Tunji-Ojo added that the new automation process will also help the government to easily detect fake passports.
His words: “We are good to go live. We are starting the training and on January 8, the solution will be live and direct for Nigerians to have a good feel, a sweet experience based on the Renewed Hope of Mr President.
“We have been able to reduce human contact in passport acquisition to the minimum.”
He added that the initiative will improve the security architecture of the country, prompting a quick detection of fake passport applications and reducing bottlenecks
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Recall that the government had announced in December that the automation process for passport applications was 99% ready for take off which would include uploading passport photos and supporting documents all online.
But now, Tunji-Ojo disclosed that the training of personnel for the process is currently underway. He was accompanied by the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Wura-Ola Adepoju, on Monday, when he made the disclosure.
