Rauf Aregbesola: ‘Passport issuance resumes May 31’
After months of delays in passport issuance, Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola announced on Saturday that the Nigeria Immigration Service was working to ensure that all pending passport applications were processed by May 31.
He also stated that beginning June 1, passports will be issued within six weeks, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as a factor in the country’s passport issuance.
He did claim, however, that the government had launched an electronic temporary passport to relieve Nigerians of the burden.
Aregbesola spoke on Saturday during a virtual inaugural quarterly lecture series of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission which was monitored by Sunday PUNCH.
The event was tagged, ‘Mobilising Nigerians in the Diaspora for National Development.’
Aregbesola said, “The Nigeria Immigration Service also had their fair share of the pandemic which affected passport issuance.
“We have launched an electronic temporary passport to ease the burden of Nigerians.
“By May 31, all outstanding passport applications will be cleared. We are also looking at domesticating passport printing to avoid a shortage of booklets for renewal and new passport collection.
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“Also, from June 1, the collection of passports will take six weeks and this will allow us to carry out due diligence.”
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada, assured Nigerians abroad that diaspora voting may be realised soon.
He said Nigerians abroad were part of the county and as such should be allowed to exercise their franchise.
The minister disclosed that the Independent National Electoral Commission and the National Assembly were currently working to make this materialise.
He said, “NIDCOM is working closely with the relevant committees of the National Assembly and relevant stakeholders, particularly INEC, to allow those in the diaspora to vote in Nigeria, and I remain very optimistic that in no distant future, we should be able to allow the participation of Nigerians in the diaspora in our national elections as obtained in other climes.
