Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Interior has debunked the report of any plan to open Nigerian passports processing centres in banks and hotels nationwide.
Aregbesola refuted the report in a statement released on Monday saying that he never made any comments that were not in consonance with the policy drive of the Ministry which oversees the activities of the Nigeria Immigration Service.
He added that he did not directly or indirectly state anywhere that passport front offices would be opened in Hotels or Banks.
“The attention of the Office of the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has been drawn to news publications with the above subject matter, where an unnamed individual was said to have represented the Minister and made comments that are not in consonance with the policy drive of the Ministry, which supervises the Nigeria Immigration Service.
“To be clear, the Minister did not directly or indirectly state that passport front offices will be opened in hotels or banks,” the statement read
The Minister further stated that the ministry under his supervision is working with the Nigerian Immigration Service to reform the passport processing by boosting the operation of the existing passport offices nationwide
“The Ministry is working with the Nigerian Immigration Service under the able leadership of CG Isah Jere, to reform the passport process by boosting the operations of the existing passport offices across the Nation and in the Diaspora to deliver improved passport experience for Nigerians with the ultimate goal of eliminating corruption and incentivizing productivity.
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He said the reform embarked upon by his ministry since his inception into office has recorded several milestones
“This passport reform has recorded several bold and successful initiatives not least of which include; 1. The elimination of cash payment for any passport service at ALL Passport Centers, 2. The introduction of a digital Appointment Management System (AMS) allowing Nigerians book biometric capture appointments in advance, 3. The introduction of standardised timelines for passport collection (3 weeks for Re-issue, 6 weeks for fresh application) after biometric capture.
“Indeed, this reform is yielding results. So far this year, 1.5 million passports have been produced for Nigerians, dwarfing all previous yearly productions.
He urged Nigerians to support passport reform by taking to all guidelines
“We urge Nigerians to support the #passportreform initiative, by applying well in time, avoid using middle men, apply yourself online and discourage corruption,” he added