The Federal Government has announced that the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) will begin implementing the contactless biometric solution process for passports and visa applications to ease challenges associated with the process and curb corruption.
Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this while presenting a scorecard of his achievements within one year in office, over the weekend in Abuja.
The minister explained that the contactless biometric system allows applicants to apply for passports or visas from the comfort of their homes or offices without visiting any passport office, particularly for Nigeria’s consulates, where the number of applications often exceeds the daily capture capacity.
He said, “On October 1st, we will do a pre-launch of the contactless biometric solution with stakeholders.
“With this solution, you won’t need to go to the embassies to book an appointment anymore because of the new system.
“The era of resource wastage in the passport process is over. In Canada, for example, over 16,000 applications are received as against 260 captures per day.”
Highlighting the clearance of a 204,332-application backlog as a key achievement under his tenure, Dr. Tunji-Ojo said that the NIS has installed electronic gates (e-gates) across all international airports in Nigeria to process returning international passengers within 30 seconds without undue interaction with immigration officers.
To safeguard data identity, the minister said the NIS now has its own data center, and “we no longer rely on third-party data centers. We have a command and control center in the NIS for advanced passenger information.”
He added, “Our passport and visa systems have also been upgraded, and it now takes no more than 48 hours to process a Nigerian visa.”
On progress made in the fire sector, he mentioned that the Federal Fire Academy in Sheda, Abuja, is being upgraded to a world-class academy, which will generate revenue for Nigeria by serving as a training facility open to other countries.
Regarding reforms and corruption concerns in the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), the minister insisted, “No report will be swept under the carpet, and we will not shield anyone, regardless of their position,” in relation to the ongoing corruption allegations within the agency.
According to him, Nigeria has not failed and Nigeria will not fail in reforming the correctional sector from a punitive to a reformatory system.
He added, “The escape of inmates in Maiduguri due to recent floods cannot be considered intentional but rather a ‘force majeure.’ The Maiduguri correctional center was holding 786 inmates when the flood occurred, but officers were able to rescue about 486 of them, risking their lives in the high waters.”
He called on Nigerians to encourage uniformed men who risk their lives to keep the country safe.
He also noted that promotions across the four paramilitary agencies have received a significant boost from President Bola Tinubu in recent times, assuring that career progression remains a key motivation for officers to do more.
