The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, recently revealed a significant development for Nigerians regarding passport issuance.
No longer will Nigerians have to endure the hassle of visiting immigration offices to obtain their passports, as the government is set to introduce home delivery services starting in June.
Tunji-Ojo made this announcement during an inspection of electronic gates at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
However, the rollout of this service will initially focus on select locations, including Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Abuja, to prevent overwhelming the system.
Additionally, for Nigerians living abroad, the home delivery service will first launch in the United States and the United Kingdom, with testing conducted to ensure its efficiency.
The minister highlighted that the delay in implementing home delivery was primarily due to the absence of adequate data centers.
Previously, the Nigerian Immigration Service relied on a third-party data center, prompting the need for a permanent solution to safeguard national security and data integrity.
Tunji-Ojo emphasized the importance of the NIS being the custodian of Nigeria’s biometric data and the necessity of housing such data within the country’s infrastructure. Consequently, the construction of a dedicated data center has been completed to address this issue.
Moreover, the minister assured the public that the newly established data center adheres to rigorous security standards and is on par with international benchmarks. He underscored the integration of tracking solutions within the passport application to minimize potential failures in the system.
Furthermore, Tunji-Ojo mentioned advancements in electronic visa processing, with the final presentation completed. This electronic visa system is expected to reduce processing times from 72 hours to 48 hours, streamlining the overall passport automation process.
It’s noteworthy that this announcement follows previous declarations made by the minister, indicating the government’s commitment to enhancing passport services for Nigerians.
In October of the previous year, Tunji-Ojo had initially announced plans to commence home delivery services by February 2024, aiming to offer greater convenience by enabling passport delivery to various locations chosen by applicants.
