The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has announced that Nigerians will no longer have to travel to the immigration office to receive their passports, with home delivery slated to begin in June.
Tunji-Ojo announced this development on Friday while inspecting the electronic gates at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport’s new terminal in Abuja.
Tunji-Ojo stated that the distribution will not include every place to avoid overloading and destroying the system.
He stated that the Nigerian Immigration Service would start home delivery in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Abuja.
He claimed that the home delivery of passports for Nigerians in the diaspora would be launched first in the United States and the United Kingdom, with preliminary testing to assure its effectiveness.
The minister stated that the delay in implementing home distribution was due to a lack of data centres.
He mentioned that the NIS had been dependent on a private company’s data facility and highlighted the necessity for a long-term solution to this issue.
“We have completed the whole solution, but when we came on board, we realised that the data centre was not really there. We were leveraging a private company data centre, and we appreciate their assistance. We think that it is better to create a permanent solution to problems rather than quick fixes.
“We could have done it in February, but we had to build our data centre from scratch to be able to keep the integrity of our data and national security intact. This is more important. It is disgraceful that NIS is 61 years old and that NIS is the custodian of biometric data in Nigeria, and we believe that NIS should be in charge of the data in Nigeria.
“It is not acceptable that this data is domiciled with a third party, and that is why we have been able to do this,” he said.
Furthermore, Tunji-Ojo disclosed that the data centre has been constructed and the passport delivery issue has been resolved.
“It is about national security, and I can assure you that it is comparable with anyone you can find anywhere in the world.
“We have built the data centre, sorted the passport delivery solution, and done the final presentation in terms of technology deliverables and the tracking solution, which will all be embedded in the application we have so we do not create multiple lines of failure,” the minister said.
Speaking further, Tunji-Ojo stated that the final presentation of the electronic visa has been completed.
He stated that the visa processing period will be reduced from 72 to 48 hours.
“The passport automation process is almost complete,” he stated.
This declaration comes nine months after the minister initially stated that the home distribution of passports to Nigerians would begin in February 2024.
Tunji-Ojo indicated in October that beginning in February 2024, Nigerians will be able to have their passports delivered to their homes, offices, or any other location of their choosing.
