By BUKOLA ADETOYE

Some passport applicants in Lagos State have continued to grumble as their applications for passport booklets have suffered undue delays due to the crash of National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) portal.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) relies on NIMC’s portal to verify the National Identity Numbers (NIN) submitted by prospective applicants for passports to verify the genuineness of theiridentities to conclude the processing of the documents.

It also reports that as at the time of filing this report, NIS could not submit applicants’ documents for verification on NIMC portal due to the breakdown of its portal nationwide.

A correspondent of NAN who visited some NIMC’s offices at passport offices in Lagos observed that the situation also affected the ever bubbling passport offices as they were deserted by potential applicants.

Two applicants who spoke with NAN on Wednesday in Lagos expressed their displeasure at

the breakdown , and wondered why it was happening now that there had been an improvement in howNIS was processing passports.

Mrs Ronke Adeoti, an octogenarian and a retired nurse from the Federal Medical Centre in Yaba, Lagos, said that if the delay should continue, she would miss her medical treatment overseas.

“This will definitely has an adverse effect on my total well-being .I appeal to the management of NIMC to quickly rectify whatever fault the portal has developed,” Adeoti said.

Also, Mr Andrew Kennedy, the Managing Director, Keneddy Auto’s, Festac Town, Lagos, said that the delay would affect his already scheduled business meetings.

“Though, according to NIS policy, it takes six weeks to obtain fresh passports and three weeks for renewal. However, a passport whose processing started today is not the same as the passport that its processing will start tomorrow or next.

“I just hope that the portal will be rectified immediately,” he said.

Kennedy appealed to the management of NIMC to recognise the delay the crash had caused and factor it in by speeding up the rectification.

The Controller, Passport command, Lagos State, Mrs Milka Musa, reacting to the situation, urged passport applicants nationwide to exercise patience.

She said NIS would always give its best to Nigerians.

“The passport command will offer the best of service to Nigerians in 2022,” she said. (NAN)