…50% Approved For Bio-metric Capture, Production
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS)said that a total of 32,462 persons have applied for international passports and uploaded their documents from the Service site between January 8–21,2024.
Of these applications, the Service said that 50 per cent of this, which represents 15,113 have been approved for biometric capture and production.
The Comptroller-General of NIS, Caroline Adepoju gave the summary of passport applications for the year 2024 so far during a visit to Ikoyi and Alausa passport offices, yesterday, to see the progress of work with the introduction of the automated passport application process.
Speaking to journalists at the end of the assessment tour to the two offices, the Comptroller General explained that of the 32,462 applications, 11,505 were awaiting approval, while 3,406 who made payment nave not booked appointments and that 1,438 applications were queried for various reasons.
“50 per cent of the total applications have been successfully approved for biometric capture, production and issuance, 35 per cent awaits approval, 11 per cent made payments but yet to book appointments and only four per cent of total applications were queried.
“When queries are successfully answered, the applications return to the queue and are subsequently approved for biometric acquisition, production and issuance,” Adepoju said.
Speaking further, the NIS boss stated that the introduction of the automation of passport applications was not new, adding that the major difference presently is that supporting documents are now uploaded online.
This, she said, is a research-based decision and that NIS has been recording successes with its introduction.
Adepoju hinted that as of Friday morning, only 4 per cent rejection of uploaded documents was recorded which according to her may be as a result of errors on the side of the applicant.
The NIS, its technical partners, service providers and other stakeholders, she said cooperated with the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to come up with this reform on the automation of passport process, which has been in place since the inception of the issuance of enhanced e-passport in 2020.
She further explained that the automation of passport application was aimed, among other benefits, at easing the application process and reducing human interface which according to her had been a major complaint from applicants, who had been extorted by touts during application.
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