From Victor Osula, Abuja
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has described the newly completed Data Personalisation Centre at the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Headquarters, Abuja, as a “game-changer” in the nation’s passport production system.
Speaking after the inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Headquarters in Abuja, the Minister said the centre will reduce response time as passports could be printed within 24 hours and delivered within a week.
He assured that the centralisation which is in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Describing the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform, Tunji-Ojo said the centralised production system aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for better service delivery.
The Minister said with the new centralised system, the NIS has officially ended use of multiple centres for the production of Nigerian passport for the first time in 62 years.
Since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Tunji-Ojo said Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 percent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services”, he said, adding that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game changer for passport processing in Nigeria. We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week. Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians.”
