By Palma Ileye
Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, Caroline WuraOla Adepoju has ordered an investigation into the matters of alleged unprofessional conducts at Passport Offices especially in regards to the noncompliance with Ministerial directives on the timeline of Passport administration.
Adepoju according to a press release issued yesterday by DCI Aridegbe Adedotun, the Service Public Relations Officer, received with deep concern, some complaints of misconduct levelled against NIS personnel in some Passport offices across the nation.
The NIS statement disclosed that following the complete clearance of Passport application backlogs nationwide in line with the directive of the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, a new timeline of 2 weeks for processing and issuance of Passport was announced by the Minister on the 4th of October, 2023.
It stated that the Minister and the Ag. CGI have provided different phone numbers to the general public to report misdemeanors by NIS personnel at any of our offices assuring that, “And we are not only ready to answer your calls but resolve issues.”
It also stated that the Service has on a daily basis, monitored the compliance level at all Passport offices nationwide and at our missions abroad noting that, “We receive daily reports on production and issuance of Passports from all Passport Control Officers. As at today, Friday 13th October, 2023, most of our Passport offices are producing Passports of applicants enrolled on Wednesday, 11th October, 2023.”
The Service in the statement wished to use the opportunity to enlighten the general public that applications for reissuance of lost Passport and change of data takes a longer time informing that some applicants in this category may put the Service in bad light when they complain of delay and noncompliance with the new timeline.
NIS explained that these applications were required to go through security clearance
and correspondence with Service Headquarters before approval for
production.
Meanwhile, the Acting Comptroller General also appealed to members of the public to feel free to contact the Service through its various public communication channels including Twitter, Facebook handles (@nigimmigration) and our Contact Center on;
- 09121900655
- 09121556359
- 09121477092
to report any form of misconduct by any member of the workforce forappropriate sanctions.
Furthermore, the Service enjoined prospective Passport applicants to visit the Nigeria Immigration Service’s official website at immigration.gov.ng to apply for Passports and make payments for their preferred Passport categories and avoid patronizing individuals or entities that request cash payments for Passport services.