As part of the immigration process to improve the passport application process for Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora, the Nigerian Government in London launched an enhanced passport.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Minister of Interior Affairs, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, assured of the FG’s commitment with the enhanced e-passport, stating that the FG is committed to providing passports to all its citizens.
The Minister said: “What we have come to do here is symbolic of the core mandate of the Ministry of Interior Affairs and indeed, the Federal Government’s affirmation of citizenship integrity.
“The Nigerian passport is the highest affirmation of Nigerian citizenship. It is, therefore, our responsibility to provide the passport without any stress, within a reasonable period,” Aregbesola said.
He disclosed that the process of securing a passport had been riddled with challenges from the shortage of booklets to louting, with an economy of corruption built around it.
He assured Nigerians that he comes from a tradition of problem-solving in public administration and does not believe that any problem is insurmountable.
“So we are going to solve all the problems associated with passport administration and we are already succeeding,” he said.
He also added the new enhanced passport was a huge improvement from the standard passport introduced in 2007 because it had more sophisticated security features, making it one of the most secure passports in the world.
The Minister said that the enhanced e-Passport was a great improvement on the Biometric Passport technology which Nigeria adopted in 2007 stating that the FG is aware that technology rules the world and is keeping abreast with the latest development in the field.
“Over the years, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has worked assiduously and in close synergy with Messrs Iris Smart Technologies Ltd. to develop and implement passport reforms that are in tandem with international best practices.
“This includes extant International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Standards and Regulations,” he said.