The desire among Nigerians to seek better opportunities abroad has surged, reaching its peak in the new year, with a staggering 32,462 individuals applying for international passports and uploading their documents on the Nigeria Immigration Service site between January 8 and 21, 2024.
The revelation came from the Comptroller-General of Immigration Service, Caroline Adepoju, during her visit to Ikoyi and Alausa passport offices. Adepoju disclosed that out of the total applications, 15,113 had been approved for biometric capture and production, constituting fifty percent of the overall submissions.
During a briefing with journalists, Adepoju outlined the breakdown of the passport applications for the year 2024. She revealed that 11,505 applications were awaiting approval, 3,406 applicants who made payments were yet to book appointments, and 1,438 applications were queried for various reasons.
Adepoju clarified that the introduction of the automated passport application process involved the online uploading of supporting documents, aiming to streamline the application process and reduce human interface. She emphasized that the automation, although not new, has been successful, with only four percent rejection of uploaded documents, often attributed to errors on the part of the applicants.
The Immigration boss reassured the public, stating, “The Nigeria Immigration Service, our technical partners, service providers, and other stakeholders worked together to come up with this reform on the automation of passport process which has been in place since the inception of the issuance of enhanced e-passport in 2020.”
Highlighting the benefits of the automation, Adepoju addressed concerns of extortion by touts during the application process and urged Nigerians to be patient, allowing the NIS to perfect the newly introduced automated system. The surge in passport applications reflects the ongoing trend of Nigerians seeking opportunities beyond the country’s borders.
