The Nigerian Government has rolled out plans to begin the local production of international passports in the country.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made this known in a post via his official X handle on Wednesday night.
Tunji-Ojo revealed that he met with a local technology company that presented a proposal for localizing international passport production.
“Today, I had a meeting with an indigenous technology company presenting a proposal on localising our international passport production,” he wrote.
The production of international passports by Nigeria in other countries appears to be constituting a delay in the process of acquiring the document.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) unveiled the fully automated passport application system on March 8, 2024. With this, applicants, including Nigerians in the diaspora, are expected to enjoy a seamless experience registering for new passports and renewing expired ones.
In another development, Tunji-Ojo recently convened a brainstorming session with the Ministry of Interior’s technical partners, top immigration officers, and ministry officials.
The minister said the mission is to revolutionise the visa application process, particularly for short-stay visitors, so that Nigeria can streamline procedures, reduce stress, and enhance accessibility through automation.
“It is my belief that by fostering a more welcoming environment for tourists eager to explore our vibrant culture and rich artistic heritage, we are on another step towards achieving the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
