The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has criticised persistent delays in passport processing and warned immigration officials against extorting applicants during an unannounced inspection of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) passport office in Gwagwalada, Abuja.
During the visit, the minister insisted that Nigerians must not pay any amount beyond officially approved passport fees, stressing that inefficiency and unofficial charges would no longer be tolerated in the country’s passport administration system.
Tunji-Ojo toured the VIP and Children sections of the facility and engaged directly with immigration officers and applicants, expressing concern that only a handful of people had been attended to several hours after operations were expected to begin.
He queried why the expedited section remained largely idle while many applicants waited unattended in other parts of the building long after the scheduled opening time.
“By 9:30am, I expect to see at least one or two applicants here,” the minister said. “I can see people waiting downstairs, and our responsibility is to be efficient.”
The minister cautioned passport applicants against making any payments outside official channels and warned officers against demanding money under any guise, including for consumables or power supply.
“I don’t want to hear that you are collecting money for diesel or paper,” he said. “Nigerians have paid for their passports in full. Serve them diligently.”
Tunji-Ojo also questioned the pace of enrolment and biometric capturing, noting that each applicant should be processed within minutes if systems were properly managed.
“How long does it take to do an enrolment? Three minutes,” he said, adding that prolonged delays were unjustifiable and indicative of poor operational management.
Immigration officials at the office acknowledged that although operations were scheduled to commence at 8:00am, activities only began around 9:00am due to power supply challenges, explaining that the generator was switched on after applicants had already arrived.
The minister, however, faulted the practice of completing enrolment for all applicants before commencing biometric capturing, describing it as inefficient and insensitive to applicants’ time constraints.
“People are waiting. Some of these people need to go to work. Some have other engagements,” he said. “Why must you wait until everyone is enrolled before you start capturing?”
Describing the situation as unacceptable, Tunji-Ojo said unnecessary delays undermined the core purpose of public service delivery.
“You are wasting people’s precious time. Time is money. Time is expensive. This is unacceptable,” he said.
He also criticised the under-utilisation of the VIP and Children section, noting that applicants in congested areas could have been redirected there to decongest the facility and improve turnaround time.
“It will not cost you anything to use this place for them,” he added.
Reiterating the ministry’s commitment to fairness and efficiency, the minister stressed that no group of Nigerians should be accorded preferential treatment.
“Nigeria has no VIP When you wear this uniform, you wear a uniform of sacrifice. You are here to serve the people.” Tunji-Ojo said.
