The Nigerian government has set a new ambitious target for the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) – to manufacture 24,000 passports daily, aiming to alleviate the high demand for travel documents and streamline the application process. Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, announced this milestone as part of ongoing reforms within the agency.
Dr. Tunji-Ojo further revealed that significant progress has already been made in reducing the passport backlog. Out of an initial backlog of 200,000 passports, the NIS has successfully cleared 97,000, a notable achievement in enhancing passport issuance efficiency.
During a meeting with a delegation from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Abuja, the minister emphasised the importance of rehabilitating inmates within the country’s custodial centres. He highlighted the need for skills acquisition and mindset reorientation among prisoners, emphasising their successful reintegration into society post-incarceration.
The Minister also appealed for collaboration with UNODC to provide skills training programs for inmates in Nigerian correctional facilities. He stressed that correctional facilities should focus on the reformation of inmates and not merely serve as places of condemnation.
Dr. Tunji-Ojo assured the UNODC team that their interventions would not be politicised and expressed his commitment to implementing their projects to support the country’s development goals.
In response, Mr. Oliver Stolpe, the UNODC team leader and Country Representative, expressed their interest in further collaboration with the Ministry of Interior and highlighted previous areas of intervention. The government’s target to produce 24,000 passports daily represents a significant step towards meeting the growing demand for travel documents and enhancing administrative efficiency within the Nigeria Immigration Service.