Passport: The head of immigration issues a new condition regarding the two-week issuing deadline

Not all passport types have a two-week deadline for issuance, according to Caroline Adepoju, the acting comptroller general of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

In a press release issued over the weekend and signed by the Service’s spokesman, Aridegbe Adedotun, Adepoju stated that the Service “has received some complaints of misconduct levelled against our personnel in some passport offices across the nation with deep concern.”

“The Comptroller General has ordered an investigation into the matter, particularly in regards to the non-compliance with ministerial directives on the timeline of passport administration,” the statement stated.

A new deadline of two weeks for processing and issuing passports was announced by the minister on October 4, 2023, following the total clearing of all national backlogs in passport application processing in accordance with the direction of the honourable Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo. Different phone numbers were supplied to the general public by the Honourable Minister and the Ag. CGI for reporting offences committed by NIS employees at any of our offices. We provided two numbers from NIS: 08028320751 (SPRO) and 08067761196 (SA – SERVICOM), and we are available to take your calls and address any problems.

The Service has consistently checked the level of compliance at each passport office in the country and at our overseas missions. Every day, all passport control officers provide us reports on the creation and issuing of passports. Most of our passport offices are currently printing passports for applicants who registered on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, as of today, Friday, October 13, 2023.

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“The Service would like to take this opportunity to inform the public that applications for lost passport reissue and data changes take longer to process. When they complain about delays and failure to adhere to the revised deadline, some applicants in this category risk reflecting poorly on the Service. Before being approved for production, these applications must undergo security screening and communication with Service Headquarters.

“Meanwhile, the Acting Comptroller General wishes to appeal to members of the public to feel free to contact the Service through its various public communication channels, including Twitter, Facebook handles (@nigimmigration), and our Contact Centre at: 09121900655, 09121556359, and 09121477092 to report any form of misconduct by any member of the workforce for appropriate sanctions,” the statement continued.

The Nigeria Immigration Service asks would-be passport applicants to visit immigration.gov.ng, the agency’s official website, to submit applications and pay fees for the passport categories they prefer, and to refrain from doing business with anyone who demands payment in cash.