The house of representatives has given the Nigeria
Immigration Service (NIS) 72 hours to clear its backlog of applications for
passport booklets.
At the plenary session on Thursday, the green chamber also
asked the federal ministry of interior to review its agreement with the
passport printing company to boost the production of the booklets.
The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion sponsored
by Ugonna Ozurigbo from Imo state.
Many Nigerians have been lamenting their inability to renew
their passports or get a new one because the booklets are scarce.
Although the NIS had said the booklets are now available,
it is understood some are still experiencing challenges and getting theirs
both within and outside the country.
As the delay lingers, the common excuse at the various NIS
offices and centres is that there is still a backlog of applications to be
cleared.
Leading the debate on the motion, Ozurigbo said the long
wait for the international passport has brought “untold hardship on Nigerians
with urgent needs to travel out of the country.”
“Nigerians who are on medical referrals outside the country
are developing needless health complications while waiting for their passports
to be issued while those on urgent business trips have missed rewarding
opportunities due to the unavailability of passport booklets to enable them to
travel,” he said.
Ozurigbo also said the scarcity is “breeding a class of
passport racketeers who extort innocent citizens with the promise to assist.”
In adopting the motion, the house also mandated its
committees on interior and foreign affairs to ensure compliance and report back
within four weeks.
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