The Federal Government has ended passport production at multiple centres, introducing for the first time a single centralized system.
The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the transition on Thursday during an inspection of the new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the Nigeria Immigration Service,NIS,Headquarters in Abuja.
Since the establishment of the NIS in 1963, passport production had been spread across different centres.
The launch of a centralised hub, Tunji-Ojo stressed, marked a turning point in the nation’s passport reform journey.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” he said.
The minister explained that the old machines used across different centres could only produce between 250 and 300 passports daily, a capacity that often left applications in long backlogs.
READ ALSO: Nigerians lament passport fee hike as FG promises faster service
By contrast, the new centralised system can process between 4,500 and 5,000 passports per day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing the reform as a “game-changer” for Nigeria’s passport system.
He further noted that the government had pledged a two-week delivery timeline but was now working toward one week, leveraging automation and optimization to meet the target.
Tunji-Ojo emphasised that the centralisation of passport production aligns with international best practices, strengthening uniformity and enhancing the integrity of Nigerian travel documents abroad.
He described the shift as a crucial step in bringing services closer to citizens, driving a culture of efficiency, and advancing total passport system reform.
The minister concluded that the project is fully in line with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, which aims to strengthen institutional capacity and deliver better services to Nigerians.
Crediblenewsng.com
