Buhari orders for list of former officials still in possession of diplomatic passport

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday ordered for a list of former government officials and other persons still using diplomatic and official passports illegally.

The President said his administration will take the necessary actions against them.

Speaking after being briefed by the Permanent Secretary  of  the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bulus Lolo, President Buhari said this is to forestall any kind of negative acts that may put the country in bad light.

“Something has to be done so that we can get back our respectability as a country. Some people carry official passports  and get involved in all sorts of negative acts. We need to do something about it,” the President told the ministry officials at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS had earlier given a directive that former public office holders like governors, lawmakers at the national and state level, ministers, commissioners, local government chairmen and their deputies and retired heads of parastatals and otherformer public officers in possession of the federal government’s diplomatic passport to return them.

The Comptroller General of NIS, M.K Abeshi, had in a statement on Monday said the passports previously held by the ex public officers have been revoked and should be returned to the NIS headquarters in Abuja with immediate effect.

He had also emphasised that continuous possession of the passport after the expiration of tenure of office of the holders is an offence under the Immigration Act 2015 and the CG said the passports will be impounded at the Airport if the holders attempt to use them.

Earlier at the briefing with the President, Lolo  told President Buhari that the challenges facing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs included the absence of a Foreign Service Commission, poor funding of foreign missions, policy inconsistencies and training deficiencies, among others.

 

Elizabeth Archibong