Fed Govt, NIS seek solutions to N10b e-passport debt

Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and Federal Government are examining ways to cancel out over N10 billion owed to service providers/vendors for printing passports booklets.

There are shortages of 64-page passport and that of 32-page categories at the moment due to financial restrictions and bureaucratic challenges.

It was gathered that in the past one year, over 105,000 e-passport booklets have been printed. These include 35,000 copies of 32-page passport booklets and 70,000 copies of the 64-page category.

Thediscoverer learnt that the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, is spear-heading the government team, while the NIS Comptroller-General, Mrs. Kemi Nanna Nandap, is heading the Immigration team to address the challenges.

It was also learnt that they have expressed concerns over the negative impact the huge debt would have on the ongoing reforms in passports applications and acquisition by Nigerians home and abroad.

On assumption of office, Dr. Tunji-Ojo started reforms to make applications and acquisition seamless for Nigerians.

The minister has also ensured the upgrading of facilities and opened more e-passport offices across the country and outside Nigeria.

Under his supervision, over 200,000 backlogs of passports were cleared within three months.

But recent developments have shown that the problems are not yet over as Nigerians still complain about delays in the acquisition of their passports.

While the NIS sources said the delays are due to shortage of booklets as a result of huge indebtedness to printers and other service providers, Nigerians who have had contacts with NIS personnel and the treatments meted out to them alleged acts of sabotage from within the NIS.

For instance, it took the intervention of Dr. Tunji-Ojo for Citizen Seun Akioye to obtain his passports from the NIS penultimate Friday.

Akioye had applied online for the renewal of his passports and fulfilled all the necessary conditions, but three weeks after, he continued to receive different messages from personnel of the NIS.

disgruntled, Akioye raised issues on his Facebook page which was also posted on the minister’s platform for reporters.

The development prompted Dr. Tunji-Ojo’s intervention and, Akioye, who was an Assistant Editor at The Nation, received his passport that same day.

Our correspondent learnt that the huge debt hanging on the neck of the NIS might still constitute a big obstacle to the reform in the application and acquisition of passports.

Concurrently, there is a shortage of the 32-page passport booklet.

The Thediscoverer learnt that though the printers have printed, they could not deliver the documents to the NIS because of indebtedness to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and courier companies. Some of the documents are said to be with courier companies, while the NCS also has some in their warehouses as a result of unpaid Customs duties.

The 64-page category that are available, it was learnt, are about to be exhausted.

A source, who spoke with confidence, explained that the government had called for meetings of all stakeholders to address the issues.

The source said: “Yes, the government and the NIS have called for dialogue on the part of all critical stakeholders. The government promised to do something regarding the bureaucratic bottleneck which has been responsible for delays in payments for services rendered…”

“There is another leg to the discussions. I think the Nigeria Customs Service and the Immigration Service are working in synergy as government institutions to address the challenges since both are expected to key into the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

“I believe on the basis of the synergy, (payments or no payments) the booklets in the warehouses of the Nigeria Customs Service would be released to the NIS very soon.

“I must, however, commend the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, for his tenacity and strength of character. He has raised the bar for excellent and exemplary service for the NIS.

“The first time we had this challenge, only God knows how he navigated the systems and ensured that service providers and other vendors in the passport value chain got paid. Of course, I would not rule out the possibility of having the President’s ears, or he enjoys his confidence.

“I also want to commend the vision and leadership of the NIS. It is heartwarming that they are leading the reforms. I just pray that the majority of the personnel would key into the ongoing changes.”