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FG Launches Enhanced Passport In The UK

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The Federal Government on Tuesday restated its commitment to improving the passport application process for Nigerians at home and in diaspora, as it launches the new enhanced passport.

Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, gave the assurance on Tuesday at the official Rollout of the Enhanced e-Passport at the Nigerian High Commission in London, United Kingdom.

The Minister who revealed that the Nigerian passport is the highest affirmation of Nigerian citizenship, noted that it is the responsibility of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to provide the passport without any stress, within a reasonable period.

“What we have come to do here is symbolic of the core mandate of the Ministry of Interior and indeed, the Federal Government of Nigeria – affirmation of citizenship integrity. The Nigerian passport is the highest affirmation of Nigerian citizenship. It is therefore our responsibility to provide the passport without any stress, within a reasonable period.

“As we are all aware, there have been huge challenges to passport administration, from a shortage of booklet to touting and an economy of corruption built around it. These challenges have persisted for too long and a lot of people have become cynical while others have taken them as normal and then roll with it. But I come from a tradition of problem-solving in public administration. I do not believe that any problem is insurmountable, so we are going to solve all the problems associated with passport administration and we are already succeeding,” the minister declared.

Revealing the features of the new enhanced Passport, Ogbeni Aregbesola stated that, it is a huge improvement from the standard Passport that was introduced back in 2007, with more sophisticated security features, making it one of the most secured passports in the world.

​“The Enhanced e-Passport is a great improvement on the Biometric Passport technology which Nigeria adopted in 2007 as a strategic step towards curbing forgery, impersonation and other forms of frauds associated with obtaining travel document under the old Machine Readable Passport regime. We are aware that technology rules the world and we are keeping abreast of the latest development in the field.

“Over the years, the Nigeria Immigration Service had worked assiduously and in close synergy with Messrs Iris Smart Technologies Limited to develop and implement Passport reforms that are in tandem with international best practices, including extant International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Standards and Regulations,” Ogbeni Aregbesola revealed.

The minister who seized the opportunity to reel out some of the achievements of the NIS under his tenure noted that the service has issues a total of 2.7 million Nigerian passports in the past two years.

“In the past two years alone, we have issued 2.7 million passports to Nigerians. We have taken substantial measures to address the issue of shortage of passport booklets. This year, the ministry approved the deployment of over 600,000 booklets, the largest of its kind ever done. That is not all. The Nigeria Immigration Service through MIDAS is now connected to INTERPOL and can upload information to the agency on lost, stolen and invalidated passports in real time.

“The Ministry of Interior had consistently provided the enabling environment for the Nigeria Immigration Service to undertake and implement several reforms, especially with regard to Border Management and Passport Administration as well as Internal Monitoring/Control mechanisms to enhance efficient and effective service delivery to Nigerians and foreigners alike,” the minister announced.

In his own remarks, Acting Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, DCG Isa Jere, revealed the Service’s readiness to meet the demands for passports in the United Kingdom, stating that his officers are ready to roll out the new passports, going forward, at the official rate published on the NIS website.

“We are ready to serve the public and start rolling out the new enhanced e-passport in the United Kingdom with immediate effect. Our staff are professionals and will deliver excellent service to our citizens. Those who have any complaints whatsoever are advised to use the publicly listed complaints channels to adequately resolve any issues raised,” DCG Jere stated.

At the event were the Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola; Acting Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Isa Jere; senior Nigerian diplomats; members of the diplomatic corps, Nigerians in diaspora amongst others.

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Rivers state of emergency: Is Nigeria’s democracy safe with its courts?

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Tinubu emergency powers face renewed legal scrutiny as Nigerian courts again avoid ruling on the scope of presidential authority

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Heartbreak as Allwell Ademola dies in Lagos home

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Nollywood actress Allwell Ademola dies at 43 after reportedly suffering a heart attack at her Lagos home, prompting widespread grief in the film industry

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Conference Supervising Prophet Calls for renewed holiness and discipline as we celebrate Christmas, prepares for new year

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The Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Ayo Ni O Conference, has extended warm seasonal greetings to members of the church and the wider Christian community as it joins believers across the world to celebrate Christmas and usher in the New Year, using the occasion to call for sober reflection, renewed consecration and deeper commitment to Christian values.

In a Christmas and New Year message issued from the Office of the Conference Supervising Prophet, Snr. Sp. Apos. Pro. Dr. Joel Olayinka Adeniran, the church described the season as a sacred period that goes beyond festivity, reminding Christians of the humility, obedience and sacrificial love embodied in the birth of Jesus Christ. According to the leadership, Christmas remains a defining spiritual milestone that calls believers back to the core essence of their faith and walk with God.

“Christmas reminds us of the humility, obedience, and sacrificial love of Christ, ‘who, being in very nature of God… humbled Himself and became obedient unto death,’” the message stated, noting that the season should inspire thanksgiving to God for life, calling and service.

Rooted within the historic Cherubim and Seraphim movement, one of Africa’s oldest indigenous Christian denominations, C&S Ayo Ni O has continued to uphold a strong tradition of holiness, prayer, prophetic ministry and spiritual discipline. The church leadership noted that the transition into a new year presents an opportunity for all believers to reassess their spiritual posture and recommit themselves to upright living, faithfulness and obedience to God’s will.

As part of the broader seasonal reflection, the church encouraged members to approach the New Year with renewed resolve, clearer vision and deeper spiritual consciousness, stressing that growth in grace must be matched with growth in character. The message affirmed that Christian service, regardless of office or calling, must be rooted in integrity and reverence for God.

However, the message became more pointed as it narrowed its focus to prophets and prophetesses within the C&S Ayo Ni O Conference, underscoring what the leadership described as the unique weight, dignity and responsibility of the prophetic office. Dr. Adeniran reminded prophetic officers that their calling places them in visible positions of spiritual representation, both within the church and before the wider society.

“As Prophets and Prophetesses, we are ambassadors of Christ and stewards of divine mysteries,” the Conference Supervising Prophet declared, adding that “the Cross we bear in this prophetic vocation is not ornamental; it is sacrificial.” He stressed that the prophetic calling demands “integrity, dignity, holiness, and uncompromising obedience to God,” warning that character must always validate prophecy.

Emphasising the need for exemplary conduct, the church charged prophets and prophetesses to maintain the highest standards of discipline in their personal lives, relationships, doctrine and public engagements. The leadership cautioned against behaviours capable of bringing reproach to the prophetic office, including internal strife, bitterness, jealousy and moral compromise.

“I therefore charge you, in this season and beyond, to maintain the highest level of discipline in conduct, speech, doctrine, and lifestyle,” the message read, warning that immorality and discord undermine the sanctity of prophetic ministry and weaken the church’s moral authority.

The address also reflected growing concern within the church about the misuse of social media by religious leaders, a trend that has sparked controversy across Nigeria’s faith space. The C&S Ayo Ni O leadership admonished prophets and prophetesses to exercise restraint and wisdom in their digital presence, noting that online conduct is an extension of spiritual responsibility.

“Furthermore, I admonish all Prophets and Prophetesses to desist from all undignified and unwholesome use of social media,” Dr. Adeniran stated. “Every utterance, post, or engagement must reflect the gravity of our calling.” He warned that careless digital behaviour risks trivialising and commercialising the prophetic mantle.

Beyond individual accountability, the message also placed responsibility on leadership structures within the church, particularly officers of the Prophetic Council at district and conference levels. The leadership charged them to enforce discipline consistently and without compromise, describing accountability as essential to preserving the integrity of the prophetic institution.

“To all Officers of the Prophetic Council, both at the District and Conference levels, I give a solemn charge: do not cover, excuse, or tolerate behaviours that are inimical to the right disposition of a Prophet,” the statement warned, noting that discipline administered in love safeguards the collective witness of the church.

As the New Year approaches, the church called on prophets and prophetesses to renew their covenant of holiness, faithfulness and accountability, urging them to function as watchmen with clean hands and pure hearts. The leadership stressed that prophetic authority is sustained not by visibility or popularity but by upright living and obedience to God’s word.

The message concluded with prayers and goodwill for the season, expressing confidence that those who remain faithful to their calling will experience deeper grace and spiritual authority in the coming year. Dr. Adeniran assured members that divine calling is accompanied by divine enablement, declaring that “faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.”

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