The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), has directed passport offices across the country to work on Saturdays to clear the backlog of passport applications.
In a statement issued by the public relations officer, Mr. Tony Akuneme, in Abuja on Saturday, he said holidays will be exempted.
Akuneme said that the Comptroller-General, Mr. Isa Jere, who gave the directive also approved the deployment of the Passport Controller in Ekiti to Jigawa, while the one in Ondo was moved to NIS Zonal office in Ibadan.
The NIS spokesman stated that going forward, the CG will hold officers accountable for any acts of indiscipline by officers under their watch
He added that the directive was to enable the Service reduce the backlog occasioned by the 2020 and 2021 prolonged lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The C-G has directed that passport offices across the country with high volume of pending applications to work on Saturdays.
“The period for this exercise is expected to be every Saturday commencing from Dec. 3, 2022 to Jan. 28, 2023 between the period of 10 am to 2 pm.
“This is to enhance our service delivery to out esteemed clients.
“The Saturday proceeding the Christmas and New Year holidays are exempted, ” he said.
The spokesman said passport offices that fall within this category should contact him by Monday for further details.
Akuneme reiterated the resolve of the C-G to make services available and stress free to the traveling public, especially during the festive season.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")