Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has announced significant progress in the automation of Nigeria’s passport application, stating it is now 99% complete.
In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, he shared that the automated system is set to become operational within a week.
Tunji-Ojo emphasized the transformative aspect of this development, noting that Nigerians will soon be able to complete pre-biometrics tasks such as uploading passport photographs and supporting documents from the comfort of their homes.
The minister highlighted that the in-person visit to immigration centers will be streamlined to only involve fingerprint biometrics.
He provided a target date for the launch, stating, “We gave a date — December 2023. We are 99 per cent done. In fact, we have done the testing and we should be going live in the next week or thereabouts.”
During the interview, Tunji-Ojo also disclosed plans for the installation of e-gate systems at international airports across Nigeria. According to him, this implementation is scheduled for February 2024.
The introduction of e-gates aims to enhance the entry process for Nigerians, with Tunji-Ojo stating, “Once you are a Nigerian coming to Nigeria, you have no business seeing an immigration officer except if you are a person of interest.”
