The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the operational standards observed at the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) passport office in Gwagwalada, Abuja. During a surprise inspection carried out on Tuesday, the Minister confronted officials regarding the sluggish pace of service delivery and the poor management of resources, emphasizing that the government will no longer tolerate administrative bottlenecks that frustrate citizens.
Okay News reports that the Minister issued a stern warning against the collection of illegal fees from applicants under the guise of covering operational costs. Tunji-Ojo made it clear that Nigerians have already paid the full official rates for their travel documents and should not be burdened with extra financial demands for items such as diesel or stationery. He insisted that the era of inefficiency and exploitation in the passport application process must come to an end immediately.
During his tour of the facility, specifically the VIP and Children section, Tunji-Ojo questioned why the area was underutilized despite the presence of numerous applicants waiting idly in other parts of the building. He expressed palpable frustration that by 9:30 a.m., well past the official resumption time of 8:00 a.m., only a handful of individuals had been attended to. He described the situation as a gross waste of citizens’ precious time, noting that many applicants had to leave their jobs to be present.
The immigration officers on duty attempted to attribute the slow start to power supply challenges, explaining that operations only commenced fully when the generator was powered on at 9:00 a.m. However, the Minister rejected these excuses and criticized the specific workflow adopted by the officers. He particularly condemned the practice of waiting to complete enrollment for all applicants before commencing biometric capturing, a method he labeled as nonsensical and insensitive to the plight of the public.
Tunji-Ojo proceeded to break down the expected timeline for processing, arguing that biometric enrollment is a task that should take no more than three minutes per individual. He admonished the staff for lacking a sense of urgency, reminding them that time is an expensive commodity. He argued that if the systems were managed properly, the backlog of waiting applicants could be cleared significantly faster than the current pace allowed.
Concluding his assessment, the Minister reiterated that the uniform worn by immigration officers represents a commitment to service and sacrifice. He instructed the officials to utilize every available space, including the VIP section, to decongest the general waiting areas and improve turnaround times. Tunji-Ojo stressed that in the eyes of the ministry, every Nigerian applicant deserves diligent and efficient service, regardless of their social standing.
