Due to the incessant delay and racketing which has characterised passport processing in Nigeria, the Federal Government through the Ministry of Interior has disclosed that it will open 1,000 passport processing offices across the country.
Some of these offices will be situated in banks and hotels, the Minister of Interior stated.
According to the Minister, Rauf Aregbesola, Nigeria currently has 50 passport processing offices which is hugely inadequate to cater for the number of people seeking to get or renew their international passports.
He added that the creation of 1,000 passport processing offices across strategic locations will help to reduce hardships and frustrations experienced by passport applicants.
The Minister who was represented at an event organised by the Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce in Lagos stated that the ministry of interior will also create a premium service for passport processing which will come at a higher fee but enhanced service.
While he appealed to Nigerians not to wait until the last minute before applying for a new passport, the minister disclosed that there are a few people in the Ministry of Interior who are frustrating the ongoing reform in the ministry.
Investors King understands that some immigration officers are taking advantage of the passport delay process to arm-twist applicants.
This has become a lucrative business for some officers who collect extra N70,000 to N80,000 for what would normally have cost N26,500.
It is observed that this is common in the cities especially in Lago and Abuja passport offices due to a higher number of applicants in those offices.
Similarly, in July 2022, the House of Representatives also set up an ad hoc committee to investigate passport racketing and booklet shortage in the Nigeria Immigration Office.
The house was worried that the racketing and booklet shortage is not just causing hardship for Nigeria, it is also putting Nigeria in a bad light in the international community.