FG resolves passport production crisis in U.S.
The Federal Government has resolved the passport production situation, and the three missions have resumed passport services.
According to a public notice posted at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, DC, all passport applicants who were scheduled for biometrics previously are expected to appear at the embassy on Monday.
“This is to notify any passport applicants who were scheduled for biometric capture between Monday, November 13th, and Thursday, November 16th, that their appointments have been rescheduled.”
“It has been postponed from Monday, 20th, to Wednesday, 22nd, 2023.” Applicants who are affected can visit the Embassy on any of the dates listed.
“The change in schedule is due to the internet outage at the Embassy, and we apologise for any trouble this may have caused.”
Confirming this situation, an Embassy source told the media in New York on Sunday that the issue had been handled over the weekend.
“The system was restored over the weekend.” The specialists worked tirelessly to repair the issue, and we are now back online.
“We corrected it on Saturday and tested it.” The system has been restored, and all of the centres in both New York and Atlanta are operational.
“Because the server in DC is distributed to Atlanta and New York, anything that happens to our server affects other missions.”
The insider, who requested anonymity, stated that the issue was internet-related rather than server-related, stressing that because the server is connected to the Embassy internet, anything that happens to the internet also disconnects the other centres.
According to the source, the professionals in Nigeria collaborated with local ICT experts at the Embassy, and they were all able to resolve the issue.
Nigeria has three diplomatic missions in the United States. They are the Nigerian Consulates-General in New York and Atlanta, as well as the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, DC.
The embassy in Washington, DC is the only passport production facility in the United States, whereas consulates collect biometric data from their missions and send it to Washington, DC for passport manufacture.
The Organisation for the Advancement of Nigerians (OAN) and its 20 New York partner organisations had previously requested that the Federal Government provide passport printing machines for missions in Atlanta and New York.
“The New York consulate has authority over the most states and accepts the most candidates from across the United States.”
“It beggars belief that two passport printing machines are placed in Washington while none are located in New York or Atlanta,” the groups said in a statement.
Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Nebraska, Ohio, and North Dakota are all part of the New York Jurisdiction.
South Dakota, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Vermont, and Pennsylvania are among the others.