The Federal Government would plant security operatives at various passport offices across the country to curb extortion, hoarding of international passport booklets and other corrupt practices among the officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) across the country.
It is also reviewing the entire international passport application process by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to six weeks.
Rauf Aregbesola, the Minister of Interior, announced the new measures disclosed at a meeting with the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mohammad Babandede, Passport Officers, as well as the attaches in Nigeria Missions abroad in Abuja.
He added that an ombudsman would also be created for members of the public to receive complaints and reports on officers trying to deviate from prescribed guidelines and subversion of the process.
He said: “They will wear body cameras. They will detect and report any form of solicitations, inflation, improper communications, extortion, diversion, hoarding and other corrupt practices. Those caught will be dealt with according to the law.
“Therefore, I am declaring a zero-tolerance stance to all forms of touting. No applicant will be made to pay any illegitimate fees.”
He explained that the government was reviewing the international passport application process by the service to six weeks.
Aregbesola said this would allow seamless and transparent processes, accord human dignity to applicants and fulfill citizenship integrity in line with the mandate of the Federal Ministry of Interior Affairs.
He observed that the service has had numerous challenges in the past, including shortage of booklets, touting, racketeering and inflating the cost passports being issued to ineligible persons among others.
He maintained that it was imperative for the government to review its operations and rejig the system in order to offer excellent services to its clients.
He explained further that the government would create special centres for expedited services by the service to its clients.
These special centres, he said would run on public-private partnership basis, noting that this had already taken off in Abuja, while 10 more would be opened in coming weeks.
“More of such centres will be opened all over the country. Our goal is to have one in each local government, university campuses, institutions of higher learning and other places,” he added.
He added that a timeline would also be fixed for every application, stressing that applicants would no longer have basis for further communication with officers, other than to complete their application process and leave the venue.
He solicited the support and cooperation of all passport officers so to make more significant contribution to national development.
