MINISTER of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has stressed that clearing of passport backlogs should be done within two weeks.
The Minister made this assertion on Tuesday while appearing live on the programme, Politics Today, on Channels Television.
“Clearing all backlogs shouldn’t take more than two weeks,” the Minister began.
“After clearing these backlogs, no Nigerian should wait for more than two weeks,” Tunji-Ojo asserted.
He went on to state that delays surrounding passport issuance and renewal breeds corruption.
“It’s a right and not a privilege, Nigerians want that right to be actually theirs, not by somebody offering you your right,” the Minister said.
He went on to explain that the Ministry was carefully reviewing all the steps involved in obtaining the Nigerian passport with a view to making the process seamless.
“What Nigerians want to see is solutions and that is what the President has constantly told us… No excuses.
“In line with the directive of Mr President, it can no longer be business as usual.
“We have critically analysed all these scenarios – from the point of going online to fill the form to the point of payment, to the point of picking a date, to the point of biometrics, to the point of issuance of passports and we understand the service providers involved and we have been able to see one or two things to put right,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo further revealed that plans to digitize the process and make it quicker was also been ironed out as the Ministry is working in synergy with the service providers and Nigeria Immigration Service to make this happen.
“We have to digitise and we also have to decentralise the whole enrolment system and make it (possible) for people to walk into the nearest post office, people can walk into may be financial institutions and some many other ways.
“We are still playing with so many ideas,” the Minister revealed.
