Obtaining a Nigerian passport in most parts of the world is as easy as getting a pizza from a nearby shop. However, in Nigeria, the process can feel like embarking on a journey without knowing when you will arrive at your destination.
According to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the entire process of applying for and receiving a Nigerian passport should take no longer than six weeks. This aligns with the directive of the federal government, as communicated by the former Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. He stated that starting from June 1st, 2021, the NIS must complete all passport applications within a six-week timeframe.
According to the former minister, there was a need to review the application process which had several challenges like shortage of booklets, touting, racketeering, inflating the cost of passports, and passports being issued by ineligible persons, among others.
Aregbesola noted that efforts were on to plant security operatives both seen and unseen, in all passport offices.
“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,” he stressed.
Since then until now, Nigerians have continuously decried the prolonged application process for their country’s national passport. This delay has caused frustration and hindered their ability to achieve their desired goals, as other individuals have easy access to passports. To illustrate this, see the tweet below.
Read also: How to apply for your Nigerian passport online and save yourself a lot of money
Officials say NIN discrepancies to be blamed for delays
On Sunday, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Enugu Command, Mrs Azuka Halliday, in an event marking the service’s 60th-anniversary celebrations in Enugu, disclosed that a major reason the processing and issuance of some passports are delayed is due to discrepancies in National Identification Number (NIN) and the name filled in passport forms, causing delays beyond the recommended six weeks.
According to her, when the name on applicants’ NIN documents does not match the name on their passport forms, it delays the time of delivery of their passports beyond the recommended six weeks.
The Immigration chief urged Nigerians to use the NIS online platform for passports applications to avoid complications including delays that might arise from using a third-party platform, citing that if the applicants faced issues other than the NIN/passport form name discrepancy, her office would be more open to attend to them quickly.
The question is, why do Nigerians have to wait for months or even a year to receive their passports, even if their NIN does not have any errors or discrepancies?
What we know
In 2021, there were reports that passport booklets were scarce because the producer of the passports, Irish Technologies, was allegedly owed debts that ran into millions of dollars by the Ministry of Interior.
This was followed by speculations and insider information that the machines and general infrastructure for capturing and processing passports and other working materials had degenerated. The existing equipment was overworked and there was a constant breakdown due to wear and tear.
At the start of the year, a BusinessDay finding suggested that getting an appointment alone for the biometrics capturing at the passport office now takes between five and eight weeks, depending on the backlog of applicants awaiting biometrics processing in NIS offices.
After biometrics, applicants would also spend another four months waiting for their passports to be ready for collection.
It was also discovered that the express window, which the Federal Government said will take a processing timeline of 72 hours for an applicant who has done the biometrics capturing, also takes about three to four weeks after paying an extra fee of N15,000.
While it is true that the demand for passports recently has skyrocketed, it is yet to be ascertained what the government is doing to remedy the painful delay by providing the needed infrastructure and machines to help with the process.
There are currently speculations that only the NIS offices in Abuja and Lagos process the new improved e-passport. If true, then these offices would definitely be overcrowded given the high demand. Consequently, this would also lead to an artificial scarcity, which breeds the extortionist tendency as applicants engage in employing the service of a third party to process the passport.
The Nigerian passport suffers still
Many Nigerians have expressed frustration and anger towards the Nigerian green paper, as they believe it is not recognized or respected when used as a form of identification while travelling.
A recent report from Henley and Partners, in collaboration with IATA, ranked the Nigerian passport at the bottom of the global passport ranking, with visa-free access to only 46 countries. Nigeria was placed in the 90th position, tied with South Sudan.
Nigeria, a country often referred to as the pride and giant of Africa with a highly attractive market, has the fifth lowest-ranking passport among African countries when it comes to visa-free travel opportunities. The only countries with lower rankings are the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eritrea, Sudan, and Libya, which all have significant concerns related to insecurity and violence.
Several people have blamed this on the poor image of the country portrayed by its leaders, while some others have tied this display of shame and disrespect to the bad reputations of Nigerians outside the shores of the country.
Regardless of the situation, it is clear that the government needs to work to address the issues that have made the passport application process difficult and negatively impacted the country’s reputation.
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