The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has ended the era of producing passports at multiple centres, transitioning to a fully centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this on Thursday during an inspection of the new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS headquarters in Abuja.
He explained that since the establishment of the NIS in 1963, passport production had never been centralised, describing the development as a landmark reform.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
According to him, while the old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, the new system has the capacity to deliver between 4,500 and 5,000 daily.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, calling it a game-changer for passport processing.
The minister further noted that the reform would enable the government to achieve its two-week passport delivery target, with an even greater push toward one-week processing time.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” he stated.
Tunji-Ojo said centralisation, in line with global best practices, would not only enhance uniformity but also strengthen the integrity of Nigerian passports worldwide.
He described the initiative as a step towards bringing services closer to citizens, fostering efficiency, and driving a total overhaul of the passport production system.
The minister emphasised that the reform aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda of improved service delivery and a stronger institutional framework for NIS.
Leave a comment