The Ministry of Interior said Nigerians will now enjoy a smoother and more secure travel experience.
The Ministry said this in a statement on Tuesday, revealing that the Nigerian passport has been integrated into the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Public Key Directory (PKD) and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).
“The ICAO PKD and PKI systems ensure that the data embedded in electronic passports, such as biometric information, can be verified against trusted sources,” the statement read.
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This means that Nigerian passports can now be authenticated more efficiently at international borders.
According to the Interior Ministry, it will also help in reducing delays and enhancing security.
In a related development, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said in a recent interview that there is no single backlog of international passports waiting to be processed.
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“Today, we do not have a single backlog. In fact, we have about 97,000 passports across Nigeria that have been printed and waiting to be collected,” Tunji-Ojo said on Channels Television Politics Today.
The Minister also spoke about how security is being improved in Nigeria following his visit to the headquarters of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Sauka on Saturday, June 8, 2024.
He was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Aishetu Gogo Ndayako, and the Comptroller General of the Service, Kemi Nana Nandap.
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“We conducted an inspection of the newly-built command and control center while we strategically mapped out an area that will soon be described as the heart of the NIS,” Tunji-Ojo posted on X.
“This hub will comprise a proposed command and control centre for land, marine and air borders surveillance and proposed production centre.
“It also has the already-completed tier-4 1.4 petabytes data centre and a solar farm that will serve as an alternative power source for the entire facility.”
Tunji-Ojo added that the ongoing effort is aimed at ensuring NIS carries out its responsibilities as enshrined in the law.
