The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has announced that the planned automated passport application process which is scheduled to commence within the next week is actually 99% done.
Tunji-Ojo initially reassured Nigerians during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on October 4, indicating that citizens would have access to the feature starting from December.
Speaking in a follow-up appearance on Tuesday’s edition of the programme, the minister revealed that the technology was “99% done”.
“In fact, we’ve done the testing and we should be going live in the next one week or thereabout. As I said, that will ensure that Nigerians, all they need to do in an immigration centre, a passport centre, is just biometrics, just to take your fingerprints, that’s all,” he said.
Asked about the feasibility of Nigerian nationals completing their applications from the convenience of their homes, Tunji-Ojo replied, “Of course!”
He said this would include uploading passport photos and supporting documents.
“We have gone beyond that. In fact, we’ve gone through it. We would have gone live about two weeks ago, but I saw some errors when they came to do a presentation, and I said, ‘You know this cannot be this,” he said.
“We’re talking about balancing national security as well as convenience. There must be a middle point. You cannot bring discomfort on the basis of enhancement of security. You must find a meeting point of both security and comfort.”
The minister reiterated his commitment, assuring that by February 2024, all Nigerian international airports would be equipped with e-gates.
“Once you’re Nigerian and you’re coming to Nigeria, you will have no business seeing an immigration officer, except if you’re a person of interest,” he said.
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