The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has flagged off the construction of the proposed Abeokuta Passport Office in Ogun State, Southwest Nigeria.
It also unveiled the Passport Front Office in Kano, Kano State, which will significantly make the acquisition of Nigerian passport seamless for the travelling public.
The Comptroller General of Immigration (CGI), Isah Jere Idris, while performing the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Abeokuta Passport Office on Wednesday, as part of his tour of Immigration formations in Zone A comprising Lagos and Ogun states, assured that he would not relent in pushing the frontiers of improved and better service delivery to Nigerians.
The CGI, according to a statement issued by the NIS Public Relations Officer, Deputy Controller Tony Akuneme, described the new passport office building project as timely, stressing that on completion, it would enhance passport processing and production.
“Part of my agenda is to make passport acquisition seamless. And the only way we could do this is to improve, build the structures, and equip it so that Nigerians can get these services seamlessly without tears. This is indeed a timely project for upgrading our service delivery to the people of Ogun State and Nigeria as a whole.
“This development will surely enhance passport processing and production in the Gateway State. I congratulate the personnel of the Ogun State Command of the NIS, and I can assure that this project will also help them deliver optimal service to the people of the state at all times,” he said.
Mr. Idris commended the government and people of the state for their unflinching support to the Immigration Service and enjoined them to always stand for the progress of the nation. He also commended sister-agencies in the state for their support and cooperation with the NIS, saying this has been proved further by the presence of their top echelon at the ground-breaking ceremony,
As part of his tour of the state command, the Immigration boss also paid courtesy visits on the state governor, Mr. Dapo Abiodun and the Alake/Paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, thanking them for their support to the NIS.
He thanked the governor in particular for the approval and allocation of land for the construction of the proposed Abeokuta Passport Office, as well as the refurbishing of three operational vehicles by the Ogun State Security Trust Fund, noting that the gesture has enhanced mobilisation and patrol operations of the service.
Governor Abiodun and Oba Gbadebo commended the immigration boss for the positive reforms of the passport administration and border management, with the monarch stating that NIS played a significant role in ensuring efficient manning of our land borders and air and sea ports during the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Mr. Idris also visited some border communities in the state where he interacted with stakeholders on the need for vigilance and security awareness as the country approaches the general elections.
The CGIS rounded up his tour of Immigration formations in Zone A with a working visit to the passport offices in Ikoyi and Alausa, as well as the new passport front office in Alimosho to be commissioned soon by the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. He equally paid a courtesy visit to the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akioluand the Oniru of Iruland, Oba Omogbolahan Lawal before departing to Abuja.
Meanwhile, the opening of the Kano passport front office was said to be in furtherance of measures to ensure passport administration was less cumbersome for travelling Nigerian public.
