The Federal Government has described the newly completed Passport Center Centralized in Abuja as a “great victory” for the country and the first of its kind in the 62 years of history of the immigration service of Nigeria (NIS).
Interior Minister, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who inspected the MEGA Pasportes Data Customization Center at the NIS headquarters, said the center would reduce the response time since passports could be printed within 24 hours and deliver in a week.
Tunji-Ojo, who was accompanied by the permanent secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, and the Comptroller General of Nigeria immigration service, KEMI Nanna Nandap, said that the center aligns Nigeria with the main nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, India and Bangladesh in an adoption of a port of Passport, the quality of the past passes The quality of the past of the past, which guarantees the quality of the United States. integrity and efficiency.
He explained that the avant -garde infrastructure of the center would revolutionize passport production, increasing the capacity of 250–300 brochures per machine daily to more than 4,500 to 5,000 passports per day, with approved passports ready for collection within 24 hours.
“The age of attacks and manual customization have ended. Nigerians can now expect a faster and more reliable service as we strengthen the integrity of our travel documents,” said the minister.
According to him, the new system ends the previous agreement where passports were customized in approximately 96 centers in Nigeria and abroad, a model that described as “vulnerable and inefficient.”
“Centralization is the best global practice because it guarantees greater quality, better control and greater efficiency. We promised the Nigerians to centralize the personalization and production of the passport, and I am pleased to announce that this project is now ready for 100 percent.”
The minister revealed that although old machines could only process 250–300 passports per machine daily, the new installation now produces around 1,000 passports per hour, giving the NIS the ability to deliver between 4,500 and 5,000 passports within a normal workday.
“This means that applicants whose requests are now approved can expect their passports to be printed within 24 hours,” he added.
Highlighting other reforms, Tunji-Ojo announced the unification of the two Nigeria passport series in a single regime with the support of the technical partner Iris Smart Technologies.
The minister also recalled that Nigeria has completely migrated to the Public Key Board of the Civil Aviation Organization of Civil Aviation (ICAO), which authentic worldwide travel documents.
“With this, the integrity and global credibility of our passport have been significantly strengthened,” he said.
The minister also recalled that the government inherited an accumulation of 204,000 passport applications, but emphasized that the new system eliminates such challenges by automating customization and reducing human intervention.
“This project ensures that the era of delays is over. The officers no longer have to work all day to eliminate applications batteries. The system is now perfect, fast and responsible,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo thanked President Bola Tinubu for his unwavering support, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Interior, the Comptroller General of Imigration, NIS officials and technical partners for his role in giving life to the project.
He pointed out that the reforms in the service directly affect citizens by reducing waiting time from weeks to hours. “We promised a two -week delivery; we are already working to achieve a week or less,” he said.
The centralized customization center, according to the minister, is an important milestone in the current reforms of the Government in the provision of services, efficiency and national identity management.
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