The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has disclosed that the service issued 2,141,300 passports in 2023 following the increase of ‘Japa syndrome’.
The NIS controller-general, Caroline Wura-Ola Adepoju on Tuesday revealed this during a diaspora virtual lecture series, themed “New passport policy/processes for Nigerians in the diaspora confirmation,” organised by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM).
Adepoju said the service “produced 1,033,506 million passports in 2021; another 1,597,729 million in 2022, while in 2023 over a record 2,141,300 million.”
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She emphasised that the new process of passport delivery would significantly reduce human interaction, thereby “eliminating inconveniences associated with passport applications and saving time for both applicants and immigration personnel.”
She added that since the automation went live last month, more than 100,000 applications had been submitted online, with over 80 percent processed seamlessly.
Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the minister of interior, pledged to alleviate the burden of acquiring passports for Nigerians in the diaspora.
He noted that the e-passport processing has enhanced service delivery to Nigerians domestically and abroad, by the immigration service.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman/CEO of NIDCOM, praised the minister and the CGI for making passport application a lot easier for applicants.
She said the lecture was aimed at educating Nigerians in the diaspora about passport automation.
