The Federal government has urged Nigerians to follow the right Channel of applying their passport registration through online platform for due process purposes and also for quick retrieval.
The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola made this known on Wednesday when he paid a surprise visit to the Alausa Passport Office of the Nigerian Immigration Service in Lagos.
Ogbeni further advised Nigerians that patronising touts and racketeers either in uniforms or in civilian clothing for acquiring passport would only lead to delay and extortion of prospective applicants.
However, the Minister asked the Passport Control Officer at the station, Mrs. B. L. Bukar, to explain the breach of due process, noting that such request was strange. The officer who allegedly sold the obnoxious form and made the request for manual filling was identified and subsequently queried.
Ogbeni’s word “I have said it for the umpteenth time that Nigerians must stop patronizing touts either in uniforms or in civilian clothing. The only way for you to apply for your passport is online.”
According to the Minister of Interior, “The attempt to get passport on-the-go and boycott the standardize collection timeline of three weeks for reissue and six weeks for fresh application after capturing, which is the main reason why many patronize touts, will only end up in disappointment.”
Aregbesola briefed the officers on duty that they are servants of the people and this must be reflected in their attitude at work and the way they relate with passport applicants, As such, they should avoid creating false gridlock that frustrates and exasperates the people he warns.
Aregbesola while addressing journalists, at the end of his visit at the Alausa Passport Office of the Nigerian Immigration Service in Lagos, he stated that his visit earlier to Kirikiri Custodial Centres and the Alausa Passport office was part of his effort at ensuing that the Ministry of Interior and the agencies served Nigerians to the best of her abilities and to keep the agencies on their toes, knowing that he may walk into any of the service centres at any time.
Afonja Fatai Ajibola,
Deputy Director, Press & Public Relations.
