The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Tuesday confirmed that all the 204,332 passport application backlogs have been cleared in line with the directive by Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

It will be recalled that the Minister had upon assumption of office summoned the Acting Comptroller General of Immigration, Adepoju Carol and Managing Director of Iris Smart Technologies, Yinka Fisher, over the over 200,000 international passport pending applications.

He also vowed to remove all bottlenecks and encumbrances in the process of issuance of the Nigerian travel document by the NIS.

Tunji-Ojo accordingly gave the immigration service two-week ultimatum for swift clearance of the over 200,000 backlog of passports.

The minister had during his familiarisation visit to the Headquarters of the NIS in Abuja expressed sadness over delays in the issuance of passports and the painful experiences of Nigerians home and abroad, on the matter.

While urging the service to up its game and change the narrative, Tunji-Ojo said he has been following developments in the NIS on the passport crisis, insisting that under his watch, Nigerians would not suffer to obtain the documents.

Updated information on the directive by the Minister of Interior, obtained on Tuesday in Abuja, indicated that NIS has as at 1st October, 2023, cleared all the outstanding 204,332 passport applications.

“The entire passport backlog in the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has been cleared after a directive from the Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo. Update as at 1st October, 2023; total backlogs 204,332, total backlogs cleared 204,332,” it stated.

In a chat on Tuesday in Abuja, the Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, DCI Adedotun Aridegbe, confirmed that almost all the backlogs of passport applications have been cleared.

Aridegbe, who however, said he could not immediately put figures to the number of pending passport applications, which have been cleared, declared that the era of passport backlogs was over.

He disclosed that immediately the Minister of Interior gave the marching order to clear the backlogs of passport applications, the Acting CG of Immigration went into and constituted a taskforce to ensure that the directive is carried out to the letter.

He said: “Our passport offices all over the country have never rested one day, so as to clear all backlogs. In fact, they run shifts, Lagos is peculiar with three shifts just to make sure that the directive of the Minister is actualised.

“This was facilitated by the taskforce inaugurated by the acting CG. We are all working. we have cleared almost all the backlog, In fact, the era of backlog is gone,” he said. (Nigerian Tribune)