The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Tuesday, January 20, paid an unannounced visit to the Nigerian Immigration Service passport office in Gwagwalada, Abuja, where he condemned delays in passport processing and warned applicants against making extra payments.
Tunji-Ojo inspected operations at the VIP and Children section of the passport office and engaged both officials and applicants, questioning why people were still waiting long after the office was expected to begin service.
During the visit, the minister took feedback from applicants and cautioned them against paying money outside official fees, insisting that Nigerians had “paid for their passports completely” and should not be charged for additional items. “I don’t want to hear that you are collecting money for diesel or paper. Nigerians have paid for their passports completely. Serve them diligently,” he said.
He expressed displeasure that only a few applicants had been attended to hours after opening time, despite the section being designated for expedited service. “So it means that by 9:30am, I expect to see at least one or two applicants here. Because I can see some people waiting downstairs, and our responsibility is to be efficient,” he said.
The minister questioned officials on the pace of enrolment and biometric capturing, noting that each applicant should be processed within minutes. “How long does it take to do an enrolment? Three minutes. So three times seven, that is twenty-one minutes,” he said.
Immigration officers acknowledged that although the office was scheduled to open by 8am, operations began later after the generator was switched on at about 9am. “We are supposed to open by eight,” one official said, explaining that power was put on after applicants had arrived.
Tunji-Ojo criticised the practice of completing enrolment for all applicants before commencing biometric capturing, insisting the two processes should run simultaneously to reduce waiting time. “It doesn’t make sense to me. People are there waiting. Some of these people still need to go to work. Some of these people have other things to do. So why must you wait until you enrol everybody before you do capturing?” he asked. “You are wasting people’s precious time. Time is money. Time is expensive. It is unacceptable.”
The minister also faulted the under-utilisation of the VIP and Children section, noting that applicants waiting in other sections could have been redirected to ease congestion. “It will not cost you anything if you use this place for them,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo reiterated that passport offices must prioritise efficiency and fairness. “Nigeria has no VIP. When you wear this uniform, you wear a uniform of sacrifice. You are here to work for the people,” he said.
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