The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced that it will take 6 weeks for new passports to be issued, reversing its previous decision to start issuing new passports in 24 hours.
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammed Babandede, in a statement issued on Tuesday said the turnaround time for issuance of passports is now six weeks starting from June 1, 2021.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, had last month assured Nigerians that obtaining their international passports within 24-hour was possible following the commissioning of the newly built Maitama Passport Express Centre (MPEC).
Babandede also announced the suspension of the processing of fresh passport applications till the end of May in order to clear back-log of applications.
The Comptroller-General said, “All passport applications all over the country are hereby closed between May 18 and May 31, 2021.”
The statement said Babandede addressed journalists in Abuja, informing them of some new developments to ease passport issuance and processing, following the decoration of 87 newly-promoted Assistant Comptrollers-General and Comptrollers of Immigration Service.
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The NIS said, “With effect from June 1, 2021, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has directed that the issuance of passports to Nigerians will take a period of six weeks during which applicants must resolve their concerns with the passport office and the office must resolve their concerns with applicants.
“If you submit an incomplete documentation, you will receive a text message asking you to come and rectify the issues. Immediately you correct your documentation, the six weeks starts.
“When you apply, you wait for six weeks and you will get your passport. If you don’t get it, hold us responsible.
“If any passport officer fails to contact an applicant and the passport is not issued after the stipulated time, disciplinary measures will be taken against that officer.”
 has announced that it will take 6 weeks for new passports to be issued, reversing its previous decision to start issuing new passports in 24 hours.){kind=link}