The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has assured that the passport printer issues reported in Nigeria Consulates in New York and Atlanta would be given urgent attention.
Henzodaily reports that Tunji-Ojo, in a statement on Thursday, said he had given a directive to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to deploy new printers to the passport offices in both cities.
He assured that efforts were on to streamline and ease passport application processes for all applicants.
“To address this issue, the Minister has since approved and directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to immediately deploy new printers to the passport offices in both cities. These printers are ready for installation. This short-term solution aims to resolve the current challenge promptly.
“The Minister hinted that there is a new solution being implemented as a long-term plan that will usher in a streamlined passport regime, enabling Nigerians to apply for their passports with more ease.
“Part of this plan includes the activation of the Passport Personalisation Centre in Abuja, which is scheduled to start in the next few weeks while also opening up more countries for the already-deployed contactless solution,” he said.
He highlighted that the Ministry was working on improving contactless application process in all Nigeria passport application centers across the world.
“The Ministry of Interior under the Minister is working round the clock, and none of the agencies is left behind. At the Nigeria Immigration Service, for instance, there has been an end-to-end automation of the passport application process and the introduction of the contactless application process, which has since been launched in Canada.
The Minister assures that the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains committed to ensuring that Nigerians experience innovation and convenience while still enhancing national security,” he added.