The Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) Mohammed Babandede has directed passport officers nationwide not to charge Nigerians extra fees to process the New Nigerian passport apart from the approved fees that are on NIS website and all official publications of the Service.
The Immigration boss gave this directive during a virtual meeting with the Passport Officers, stressing that Nigerians are not to be surcharged even as he pledged that the Service must serve Nigerians sincerely to gain their confidence.
A statement issued on Monday June 1 by the Public Relations Officer of the Service Sunday James, said the meeting, which was organized at the NIS headquarters, Abuja had in attendance the Zonal Coordinators of the Eight (8) Zones of the Service; Zone A to H and all the State Command Comptrollers as well as the Lagos State Passport Command among others.
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The statement added that the meeting made great impact in redirecting the efforts of Babandede towards rejuvenating and reinvigorating the new order in Passport processing and procedure, adoption of processes that will bring ease and restore confidence of Nigerians to the process. It is also to enhance the value of the document “The Green Passport Our Pride,” he said.
“We live in an unusual time that demands working while keeping social and physical distancing, adhering with NCDC protocols and above all, keeping the workforce on their toes,” he added.
He also emphasized that Automatic Passport Reminder system is being test-run at the Service headquarters where payment and other process status are being communicated to the applicant in the form of feedback and that same should be implemented by all the Passport officers.
The meeting was also to set the pace for enforcement of compliance on payment for passport online even as all the Passport Officers are directed to establish a Front Desk office for the teaming applicants so as to ensure applications are submitted directly to the institution and not to individuals.
On the issue of lost and stolen Passports, the Passport Officers were advised to set up tracking mechanism. Hence, lost and stolen Passports should be treated on their merits and due diligence process should be followed to avoid culpability in Passport related offences.
“The Passport Officers as the frontline officers in the administration and issuance of Passport to bona fide Nigerians are exposed, they were as well cautioned on the need to be safety and health conscious in handling both the Passport and attending to the applicants by observing prescribed NCDC protocols to avoid the spread of COVID-19 from person to person and material to person while rendering service to the public,” the statement said.
