The Federal Government on Tuesday commissioned a new Passport Front Office at the Ministry of Interior headquarters in Abuja, marking another milestone in the ongoing reform of Nigeria’s passport system under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The event, which had in attendance the Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole (represented), was led by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
The project was executed at no cost to the government, as it was a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative from the Ministry’s technical partner, Iris Smart Technologies Limited.
“When we assumed office two years ago, it was surprising that our Ministry, which supervises the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), lacked a passport front office. Our staff had to go elsewhere to access such services. We set out to change that,” Tunji-Ojo stated during the commissioning.
With this new addition, Nigeria now boasts 14 passport front offices nationwide.
Reflecting on the achievements in passport reforms, the Minister noted that the government inherited a dual passport regime, where some Nigerians carried the old Harmonised Passport while others used the Enhanced e-Passport.
“Today, we have successfully phased out the dual regime. Nigerians both at home and abroad now have access to a single Enhanced Passport platform,” the Minister added.
In 2023, there were only 26 centres in Nigeria capable of issuing the Enhanced Passport, and just 5 centres abroad. Two years later, under the Renewed Hope agenda, these figures have surged to over 40 domestic centres and 45 in the diaspora, ensuring that every applicant, regardless of location, can obtain the modern Enhanced Passport.
Additionally, Nigeria is now ahead of global trends, with contactless passport applications now available to users.
“These efforts demonstrate our commitment to bringing passport services closer to the people while modernizing the entire system. It is yet another testament to the achievements of the Tinubu administration,” the Tunji-Ojo concluded.
