The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Tuesday paid an unannounced visit to the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) passport office in Gwagwalada, Abuja, where he criticised delays in passport processing and warned applicants against making payments outside official fees. During the inspection, as contained in a viral video circulating on social media, the minister toured the VIP and Children section of the facility and interacted with immigration officials and passport applicants, questioning why applicants were still waiting long after the office was expected to commence operations. Tunji-Ojo cautioned applicants against paying additional money for services, insisting that all passport fees had already been fully paid through official channels. “I don’t want to hear that you are collecting money for diesel or paper. Nigerians have paid for their passports completely. Serve them diligently,” he said. The minister expressed displeasure that only a few applicants had been attended to several hours after opening time, despite the section being designated for expedited services. “By 9:30am, I expect to see at least one or two applicants attended to here. I can see people waiting downstairs, and our responsibility is to be efficient,” he said. Tunji-Ojo also queried the pace of enrolment and biometric capturing, noting that each applicant should be processed within a few minutes. “How long does it take to do an enrolment? Three minutes. Three times seven is twenty-one minutes,” he said. Immigration officers explained that although the office was scheduled to open at 8 am, operations commenced later after the generator was powered on at about 9 am. “We are supposed to open by eight,” an official said, adding that power was restored after applicants had already arrived. The minister criticised the practice of completing enrolment for all applicants before commencing biometric capturing, insisting that both processes should be carried out simultaneously to reduce waiting time. “It doesn’t make sense. People are waiting. Some of these people need to go to work and attend to other responsibilities. Why must you wait until you enrol everybody before you capture?” he asked. Describing the situation as unacceptable, Tunji-Ojo said delays undermined effective service delivery. “You are wasting people’s precious time. Time is money. Time is expensive. It is unacceptable. Nigeria has no VIP. When you wear this uniform, you wear a uniform of sacrifice. You are here to work for the people,” he said. He also faulted the under-utilisation of the VIP and Children section, noting that applicants waiting in other sections could have been redirected to ease congestion. The minister reiterated that passport offices must prioritise efficiency and fairness in service delivery.
