Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo inspects passport operations in Gwagwalada, Abuja.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Tuesday made an unannounced visit to the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) passport office in Gwagwalada, Abuja, expressing concern over long delays in passport processing.
During the inspection, the minister observed slow operations in the VIP and Children’s sections and engaged officials and applicants directly. He warned applicants against paying money outside official fees, emphasizing that Nigerians had already paid fully for passport services.
Nigerians have paid for their passports completely. Serve them diligently, Tunji-Ojo said. He criticized the limited number of applicants attended to hours after opening and questioned why enrolment and biometric capturing were not conducted simultaneously to reduce waiting times.
The minister also noted that the office, scheduled to open at 8 a.m., only started operations around 9 a.m. due to delayed generator activation. He stressed that processing each applicant should take minutes, not hours.
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You are wasting people’s precious time. Time is money. Time is expensive. It is unacceptable, he said. Tunji-Ojo further urged staff to make full use of the VIP and Children’s sections to ease congestion and ensure fairness.
He reminded officers that public service requires efficiency, fairness, and dedication. Nigeria has no VIP. When you wear this uniform, you wear a uniform of sacrifice. You are here to work for the people, he said.
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