L
LequteMan
Guest
Newly appointed Comptroller General of the Nigeria immigration Service (NIS), Mr Muhammad Babandede, has vowed to eradicate corruption at all passport offices nationwide.
In an interview on Thursday, he said the exercise was part of the sweeping reforms that has been embarked on by his administration.
“The minister of interior, Rtd Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau has tasked me to embark on this reform," he stated. “We have taken stock of previous reforms, so what we are doing now is to decentralise the process, so that everybody do not need to come to Abuja for their passport,
“You know this creates tension in the system and even encourages corruption because of the pressure,’’he said.
“Approval for replacement of lost passports shall henceforth be given by state comptrollers after online vetting and processing of application at the Passport Division in the Service’s headquarters,’’ he said.
The Immigration boss said that as part of efforts to root out corruption at passport offices, the official fees/categories of passports will henceforth be displayed at various passport offices to ensure transparency.
According to him, the 64 page e-passport still costs N20,000, 32 page booklet costs N15,000 (18-60 years) while those below 18 years and above 60 years cost N8, 750.
He urged Nigerians to insist on paying the official fees at the designated passport offices or pay online at the official immigration website to avoid exploitation by touts and agents.
In an interview on Thursday, he said the exercise was part of the sweeping reforms that has been embarked on by his administration.
“The minister of interior, Rtd Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau has tasked me to embark on this reform," he stated. “We have taken stock of previous reforms, so what we are doing now is to decentralise the process, so that everybody do not need to come to Abuja for their passport,
“You know this creates tension in the system and even encourages corruption because of the pressure,’’he said.
“Approval for replacement of lost passports shall henceforth be given by state comptrollers after online vetting and processing of application at the Passport Division in the Service’s headquarters,’’ he said.
The Immigration boss said that as part of efforts to root out corruption at passport offices, the official fees/categories of passports will henceforth be displayed at various passport offices to ensure transparency.
According to him, the 64 page e-passport still costs N20,000, 32 page booklet costs N15,000 (18-60 years) while those below 18 years and above 60 years cost N8, 750.
He urged Nigerians to insist on paying the official fees at the designated passport offices or pay online at the official immigration website to avoid exploitation by touts and agents.
