Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Wednesday, in Abuja, while responding to queries from the press, explained that the new conditions introduced as prerequisites for obtaining or renewing international passports were instituted to curb the acquisition of Nigerian passports by non-citizens.
According to a statement on Wednesday from his media aide, Babatunde Alao, the Minister, while emphasising that the passport is a security document exclusive to Nigerian citizens, added that the new conditions would impede non-Nigerians from acquiring the passport, revealing that foreigners have exploited the inefficiencies of the previous system.
The minister, while acknowledging challenges faced by new passport applicants, assured the public of an enhanced process in the coming weeks.
The new conditions, including providing a citizenship certificate, date of birth certificate and the National Identification Number (NIN), have become critical in verifying an applicant’s true citizenship.
Tunji-Ojo emphasised that the reform aimed to simplify the passport acquisition process for Nigerians by facilitating speedy online application, production, and passport collection.
“We have to introduce this new system to stop those non-Nigerians carrying Nigerian passports.
“Contrary to reports, the new process is working very effectively, and the hiccups recorded are only four per cent, which is a significant improvement for a system that is newly introduced, and I assure you that in the next one or two weeks, we will have a near perfect system.
“We have to improve our process of obtaining passports because a passport is a security document. This new system has improved accessibility, transparency and efficiency,” the Minister stated.