HIGH COMMISSION LONDON: NIS Issues 5,225 New Enhanced E-Passports To Applicants, Enrols 5,918
The Nigeria Immigration Service on Monday , said it has issued a total of 5,225 e-passports to applicants at the Nigeria’s High Commission in London between November 21st 2021 to March 28th 2022.
The service also disclosed that it has enrolled no fewer than 5918 applications in London’s High Commission between the aforementioned period.
According to a statement made available to newsmen by Amos Okpu spokesman of the service, the month of March 2022 recorded the highest number enrolment of applications in the UK with a total of 2,225 while 2,122 persons obtained their e-passports.
Further breakdown has-1809 and 1411 in February 2022 for enrolment and issuance respectively; January recorded 1256 and 1424; while December 2021 had 402 and 376 respectively.
Meanwhile, November 2021 recorded 58 enrollment and 50 issuance of passports to applicants.
However, Okpu maintained that the records of e-passport issuance activities at the Mission since 23rd November, 2021 till date, show a remarkable improvement adding that there are cases of incomplete documentation and data change issues on some of the processing.
He noted that:”Some major requirements of the enhanced e-Passport include digitized application and payment process, mandatory requirement that Passport applicants would have been registered by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) on the same identity with which they will use for procuring the enhanced e-Passport as well as the introduction of the appointment system.”
The service spokesman further recalled that before the introduction of the appointment system, the entire premises of the Nigeria House on Northumberland Avenue London has not only been very chaotic but nothing close to decent.
According to him, the digitized platform is to ensure that applicants get to apply and pay the exact fee only for the Passport category of their choice online via passport.immigration.gov.ng while the appointment system is aimed at reducing the avoidable age-long overcrowding situations at the Mission.
He further added that a team comprising representatives of relevant stakeholders on the passport platform to be led by the Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration overseeing the Passport Directorate is due to arrive the UK within the week to address the challenges raised by the Mission.
Reacting on a purported letter, he stressed that “The attention of the acting Comptroller General of Immigration Isah Jere Idris has been drawn to a Circular issued over the weekend by the Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom announcing the suspension of issuance of the enhanced e-passports to Nigerians in the United Kingdom.
” The Circular had stated that the suspension is not unconnected with some noticed challenges being experienced by applicants while applying and processing their Passports at the Mission.
“This they claimed had resulted in some forms of frustrations leading to instances where some applicants have had to abuse and harass Mission Officials.
“The suspension they claimed is to enable the Mission put up certain measures to address the situation.
“While the Service would not want to be seen as opposing any move by the Mission to genuinely improve its services to our compatriots in the United Kingdom, it is imperative that we offer some clarifications on the subject matter.
“Suffice it be stated that as part of efforts to deepen the data harmonization policy of government and with a view to achieving the emergence of a seamless integrated national identity management system for the country, the Service unveiled the enhanced e-Passport facility in London on the 23rd November, 2021.
“The appointment system has since addressed this as passport applicants only go to the Mission for Passport services on their appointment dates.
” Therefore, the claim in the circular that the unveiling of the enhanced e-Passport and the appointment system has brought some challenges is at best an imagination.
He maintained, saying, “Consequent upon the above and in order not to subject compatriots who desire passport services in the United Kingdom to unnecessary pains in procuring passports, the acting Comptroller General has in the exercise of the powers conferred on him by Section 9 (1) of the Immigration Act, 2015 directed the Immigration Attaches at the Mission to continue with the issuance of the enhanced e-Passports in the Mission.
” The acting Comptroller General therefore, wishes to use this opportunity to assure members of the public of management’s commitment to steady deployment of ICT solutions to eliminate all unnecessary bottlenecks with a view to maintaining quality and transparent service delivery across all service windows.”
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