Producing Nigerian Passports Abroad Is Absurd – House Of Reps Tells NIS

BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – The House of Representatives on Tuesday described as absurd the practice of producing the Nigerian passports outside the shores of Nigeria particularly against the backdrop of its security features.

This is as Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila said that there was hardly a country he visited that there were no embarrassing stories in the country’s missions.

The House particularly said that the security features contained in the Nigerian passport ought to be guarded, stressing that printing of Nigerian passport by a private firm outside the country was questionable and unwarranted.

Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hon. Timehin Adelegbe, who stated these during a Public Hearing on incessant malpractices associated with diplomatic postings and deliberate draining of resources, further said that most Nigerians were not happy with the process and collection of passports.

Adelegbe said it was high time the issue was taken seriously and addressed.

Hon. Gbajabiamila said he visited many countries right from his time as Minority Leader to House Leader and can recall such stories, adding however that it is not the intention of the House to act in a manner that singles out any one individual or group, neither does the House of Reps desire to take punitive action as a matter of politics.

In the words of Gbajabiamila; “We will conduct a thorough review of what is, by every standard, one of our nation’s premier institutions. And we will work with all who bear a responsibility to try to fix what needs fixing and rebuild what is broken”.

Responding, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mohammed Babandede, said it was his desire to get the Nigerian passports produced within Nigeria, saying; “Our wish is to produce even a booklet of Nigerian passport in our compound”.

Commenting on allegations of nepotism in NIS foreign posting, Babandede said that officers often go the extra mile to lobby their way as they consider such postings lucrative.

The NIS boss, however said that on assumption of office, he embraced transparency on foreign postings as 50 per cent is reserved for officers who attended training school and 10 per cent for those who received awards.

Babandede also said that Nigeria has 47 diplomatic missions across the world, adding that officers are only saddled with issuing visas and handling traveling documents.

According to him; “Fees realized from these are usually remitted to the Federal Government. Contrary to the $40 million generated in 2019, in 2020 we generated $20 million due to COVID-19 pandemic.

“The extra charges being collected by Nigeria’s foreign missions would soon be addressed. It had been a big issue. We urged Nigerians abroad to be orderly and responsible in their quest to obtain passports and other documents. There is the need to respect Nigeria’s mission abroad,” he said.

In his own remarks, the Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hon. Yusuf Buba Yakub noted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs remained the first mirror through which the entire world see Nigeria.

Yakub further said; “Whatever happens to it must be of concern to us. We must, therefore, resolve to work together to achieve the Foreign Service of our fondest dreams and the time to do this, for me, personally, is today.

Speaking in turn, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Jeofrey Onyema, blamed the social media over some of the adverse reports about Nigeria’s foreign missions, adding that most of such stories are not true.