• NIS Explains Central facility produces 1,000 passports hourly, Says Kano migration not targeted at North • Kawu after Senate fact-finding visit clarifies new system will eliminate delays, corruption • Service says all passport centres remain open, assures applicants of faster, more transparent processing Sunday Aborisade in Abuja The Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila, has endorsed the Nigeria Immigration Service’s (NIS) centralised passport production system. The Senator who is representing Kano Central in the Senate, described the reform as a major step towards strengthening national security, eliminating extortion and improving efficiency in the issuance of international travel documents. Kawu gave the endorsement yesterday after leading a Senate delegation on a fact-finding visit to the NIS headquarters in Abuja, following complaints by his constituents and other Nigerians over the relocation of passport production from Kano and other parts of Northern Nigeria to a central facility in the Federal Capital Territory. The senator said the visit had enabled him and others to establish that the complaints were largely based on misconceptions about the ongoing migration of passport production from various locations to Abuja. After receiving a detailed briefing from NIS officials and witnessing the production process, Kawu said he was convinced that the reform was aimed at strengthening the integrity and security of Nigeria’s international travel documents while bringing the country’s passport administration in line with international best practices. He said, “They explained the process to us in detail, what they have achieved so far and what they are currently doing. Their objective is to adopt international best practices. “From what I witnessed, I salute the courage of the Comptroller-General, the Minister and, of course, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Asiwaju Tinubu.” Kawu said the centralised system represented a decisive departure from a regime that had allegedly been associated with delays, corruption, suspicion and other irregularities. “I believe they are doing something that will enable us to migrate from the old system, which was surrounded by suspicion, corruption, delays and many other challenges, to a more transparent and result-oriented system,” he said. The senator stressed that passport production was too sensitive to be left vulnerable to manipulation, particularly in view of Nigeria’s security challenges, porous borders and the growing sophistication of criminal networks. “For our national security, we need to have a centralised system that will produce our passports. The passport is one of the most important documents for any Nigerian,” he said. He added that greater central control over the production process would make it more difficult for criminal elements to compromise the integrity of Nigerian passports. “We need to protect the integrity of our passport because it is not just an ordinary document. It identifies you as a Nigerian and gives you the right to travel internationally,” Kawu said. He said the Senate delegation had gone to the Immigration headquarters specifically to verify complaints reaching lawmakers from Nigerians, particularly in Kano and other northern states, rather than relying on hearsay. The of the Senate delegation said, “Our constituents insisted that we must come here, witness the process myself and return to tell my constituents that there is no cause for alarm. “I am 100 per cent satisfied with the explanation given to us and what we have seen here. We will solidly support the Nigeria Immigration Service.” Kawu promised to take the findings of the delegation back to the Senate, saying Nigerians needed to be properly informed about the reform to prevent misinformation from undermining a potentially important security and administrative initiative. He said, “What we have seen today is different from what some people thought was happening. The passport centres have not been closed. What has changed is where the physical production is taking place.” The NIS, in its presentation to the lawmakers, said the centralisation of passport production was introduced following a comprehensive assessment of the existing system and was designed primarily to strengthen national security, eliminate extortion, improve accountability and create a uniform production process. The Assistant Comptroller-General in charge of Passports and Other Travel Documents, Titilayo Olaiya, said the reform began in 2024 after the Service identified significant weaknesses in the decentralised production arrangement. ‘It started in 2024 w
Don't miss out on breaking stories and in-depth articles.
