Passport application automation is almost finished, with only 1% remaining  – Minister

The interior minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, declared on Tuesday that 99 percent of Nigeria’s passport application procedure had been automated.

According to Ojo, who spoke with Politics Today on Channels Television, Nigerians will just need to visit immigration centres to provide their fingerprint biometrics for passports once the automated application goes live in a week.

Nigerians will be able to upload their passport images and other supporting documents using the new technique, he continued, from the comfort of their own homes.

“We provided a date — December 2023,” the minister stated. We’ve completed 99% of the work. As a matter of fact, we have completed the testing and should be coming online within the next week.

This will guarantee that Nigerians at an immigration centre will only be required to complete fingerprint biometrics.

“Pre-biometric procedures will be completed in the convenience of your own homes, including submitting passport photos and supporting documentation.

“They should have gone live around two weeks ago, but I declined when I noticed several mistakes in their presentation. We discussed striking a balance between convenience and national security.

The minister also revealed in the interview that by February 2024, e-gate systems would be established at all international airports in the nation.

“We will have e-gates at all of our international airports by February.”

“Unless you are a person of interest, you have no business seeing an immigration officer once you are a Nigerian travelling to Nigeria,” he revealed.