Automation of passport application takes off in one week – Minister

Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Tuesday said  the automation of Nigeria’s passport application is 99 per cent completed.

Ojo, speaking in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today said the automated application will become operational in a week’s time noting that after completion,  Nigerians will only go to immigration centres to do fingerprint biometrics for their passports.

He further revealed that with the new system, Nigerians can upload their passport photographs and other supporting documents from the comfort of their homes.

The minister said, “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.

“This will ensure that what Nigerians need to do at an immigration centre is just fingerprint biometrics.

“Everything regarding pre-biometrics will be done in the comfort of your homes, including uploading passport photographs and supporting documents.

“They will have gone live about two weeks ago but I saw some errors when they came to do the presentation and I said no. We were talking about balancing national security and convenience.”

In the interview, the minister also disclosed that e-gate systems would be installed at international airports in the country by February 2024.

“By February, all our international airports will have e-gates

“Once you are a Nigerian coming to Nigeria, you have no business seeing an immigration officer except if you are a person of interest,” he disclosed.