Federal Government Announces Production of 1.8m Passport Booklets in 2022

In an effort to meet the growing demands of Nigerians for passport booklets, the Federal Government announced yesterday that it had produced 1.8 million passport booklets in 2022. This announcement was made by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, during the commissioning of the Ilesa Passport Front Office and Production Centre of the Nigeria Immigration Service in Ilesa, Osun State.

The Minister of Interior also promised to address the challenges that Nigerians face in applying for and obtaining passports, through improved service delivery and streamlining of operations. He stated that the government is working diligently to adequately address the growing number of Nigerians who need passports for various purposes.

According to Aregbesola, the upsurge in passport demands by Nigerians in recent years is due to a variety of factors. The COVID-19 pandemic affected production schedules due to restrictions on human movement, which created a backlog that was being cleared when an unprecedented number of Nigerians decided to travel outside the country and applied for a passport. This compounded the backlog challenge. Additionally, the panic buying syndrome kicked in, with many people who had no immediate need for a passport applying, which created a deluge of applications.

However, the government has responded to these challenges by increasing production capacity. In 2021, one million booklets were produced, and last year, production was increased to 1.8 million, almost doubling the government’s efforts. The Minister also stated that fresh passport applications will take six weeks after biometric data capture, while renewals will only require three weeks.

The Passport Front Office in Ilesa is one of the ways that the government is responding to increased demand for passports, with the aim of reducing the waiting time for biometric data capture. Similar front offices have been opened in Alimosho, Katsina, Zaria, Daura, and in several Nigerian missions abroad in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, where the enhanced passport is being rolled out.

In conclusion, the Federal Government’s efforts to address the challenges of obtaining passports in Nigeria are commendable. The increased production capacity, opening of new passport offices, and promise of improved service delivery are steps in the right direction. It is hoped that these efforts will translate into a more efficient and effective passport issuance system that meets the needs of Nigerians.