Home Delivery Of Passport Starts Next Year, Says FG
Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said this on Monday in Lagos while speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2023 University of Lagos International Week.
According to him, Nigerians will soon begin to experience the “sweetness” of the passport application as the ministry has started the automation of the process.
“We have commenced the automation of our end-to-end passport application process, and we have given a timeline from which Nigerians will begin to experience the ‘sweet experience,” he said at the event.
“By implication, Nigerians will not need to wait longer than two weeks before they get their passport.
“By January next year, Nigerians will be able to complete this application process online, and by February next year, with collaboration and partnership with other relevant stakeholders, Nigerians will have their passports delivered to their homes, offices, and other locations of their choice.” “This, of course, would be extended to our visa application process. We are deploying technology throughout the entire process to make it as seamless as possible. To achieve this, we have set everything into motion to open more visa application centres across the world,” the minister added. “In this regard, we are also working on strengthening our visa-on-arrival policy. We are working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enforce the principle of the doctrine of reciprocity, and a committee has been set up in the ministry to achieve this.” Similarly, the minister said the integrity of travel documents would be restored via data harmonisation. “Identity is who we are, what we are, and what we live for. But today, what we have is a duplication of our registration,” he said. “Arguably, Nigeria is the only country I know that has a BVN for the bank, the international passport, the NIN, SIM card registration for telecos, and so on all of which request your data. The integrity of our travel documents must be restored through the harmonisation of our data.”
“By January next year, Nigerians will be able to complete this application process online, and by February next year, with collaboration and partnership with other relevant stakeholders, Nigerians will have their passports delivered to their homes, offices, and other locations of their choice.” “This, of course, would be extended to our visa application process. We are deploying technology throughout the entire process to make it as seamless as possible. To achieve this, we have set everything into motion to open more visa application centres across the world,” the minister added. “In this regard, we are also working on strengthening our visa-on-arrival policy. We are working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enforce the principle of the doctrine of reciprocity, and a committee has been set up in the ministry to achieve this.” Similarly, the minister said the integrity of travel documents would be restored via data harmonisation. “Identity is who we are, what we are, and what we live for. But today, what we have is a duplication of our registration,” he said. “Arguably, Nigeria is the only country I know that has a BVN for the bank, the international passport, the NIN, SIM card registration for telecos, and so on all of which request your data. The integrity of our travel documents must be restored through the harmonisation of our data.”
The government of Nigeria has announced that beginning in 2019, citizens can arrange to have their passports sent directly to their homes, places of employment, or other designated locations. On Monday in Lagos, at the opening ceremony of the 2023 International Week at the University of Lagos, Minister of the Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo made this statement. He claims that now that the ministry has begun automating the passport application process, Nigerians may finally enjoy the “sweetness” of the procedure. During the ceremony, he made the following announcement: “We have begun the automation of our end-to-end passport application process, and we have established a schedule from when Nigerians will begin to feel the’sweet experience. Nigerians may expect a two-week maximum processing time for passport applications.Nigerians will be able to apply for passports online beginning in January 2019, with expedited delivery to homes, offices, and other locations of their choosing beginning in February thanks to partnerships with other important parties. This would naturally apply to our visa application procedure as well. We are using technology across the board to ensure a smooth operation. The minister continued, “We have taken all necessary steps to increase the number of visa application centres all around the world in order to accomplish this. Our efforts to improve our visa-on-arrival policy are related to this goal. There is a committee at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that we are working with to implement the doctrine of reciprocity. The minister also claimed that data harmonisation will restore the trustworthiness of travel documents. Who we are, what we stand for, and why we exist all boil down to our identity. But now, he remarked, “we have a duplicate registration.” If you want to open a bank account, get an international passport, get a Social Security number, register for a SIM card with a telecommunications company, and so on in Nigeria, you’ll need a Bank Verification Number (BVN). Harmonising our information is necessary to reestablish trust in our travel documents.