Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, says the fresh criteria introduced for passport applications are intended to stop foreigners from exploiting the system.
On January 8, the interior ministry announced the full automation of passport applications for Nigerians at home and in the diaspora.
To obtain or renew the Nigerian passport, applicants are required to have National Identification Numbers (NIN), and tender birth and local government certificates, among others.
Speaking on the requirements on Wednesday, the minister said the conditions were introduced to curb the acquisition of Nigerian passports by non-citizens.
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He added that foreigners exploited the inefficiencies of the previous system.
“We have to introduce this new system to stop those non-Nigerians carrying Nigerian passports,” he said.
“Contrary to reports, the new process is working very effectively and the hiccups recorded are only four percent, 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.
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“We have to improve our process of obtaining passports because passport is a security document. This new system has improved accessibility, transparency and efficiency.”
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