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No Passport Booklet Shortage Again In Nigeria – FG; Deploys 10,000 Booklets To New P/Harcourt Passport Production Centre
There is no shortage of booklets again for the production of passport in Nigeria, the Federal Government has revealed.
This was made known by the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, at the commissioning of the Enhanced Passport Production Centre in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital on Tuesday, 9 August, 2022. The newly commissioned passport centre will now be responsible for the production of passport demands from Rivers, Cross Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa States.
“We have left no stone unturned in our quest to make passports available to Nigerians. Last year alone, we provided 1.3 million passports to Nigerians. As of today, there is no booklets shortage in Nigeria.
“As at the second quarter of this year (in June), the NIS have provided 645,000 passports out of the 750,000 applications received. To address the challenge of the backlog, we have sent 11,000 booklets to Ikoyi, 11,000 to Alausa and 8,000 to FESTAC centres in Lagos.
“We have also sent sufficient booklets to all the centres nationwide to address this challenge. There is therefore no excuse again for delay and non-issuance within a reasonable period,” Minister told the cheering public.
The Minister also urged the listening public to make sure they apply by themselves online to avoid being shortchanged by unscrupulous elements.
“I will urge applicants for the Nigerian passport to apply early enough before their travel date to avoid cutting corners and falling into the hands of scammers and other opportunists. It is important also that they apply by themselves at the Nigeria Immigration Service portal and not through touts and unscrupulous officials, which often bring heartaches.
“We have provided a window of six weeks and three weeks for fresh application and renewal respectively, after biometric data capture, by which time, other things being equal, the passport will be ready for collection. This timeline is to enable NIS investigate and validate the claims of applicants and confer integrity on the passport issued. It is a reasonable provision in passport administration by global standard. There is no wait-and-get passport service anywhere in the world. The only wait-and-get passport is passport-sized photograph from Polaroid camera,” the Minister stated.
The Minister further stated that the Passport Production Centre launched today will serve applicants from Rivers, Cross Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa States, but was quick to add that it doesn’t confer any advantage or disadvantage on any of the centres, noting that a deployment of 10,000 booklets has been deployed to serve the fours states with immediate effect. He also stated that there are currently no backlogs in any of the four states.
“The production centre we are launching today will serve Rivers, Cross Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa States for production purpose only. It doesn’t confer any advantage or disadvantage on the applicants in any of the four states. It’s simply a production centre.
“We have also delivered 10,000 passports to this centre. This is in addition to the fact that there are no backlogs to be cleared. In some advanced countries we often like to cite, it takes months to procure their passports. But in addition to the standardized timeline, we have also introduced tracking mechanism in the application process, to enable applicants monitor the progress of their application.
“We are also introducing data capture centres all over the country before the end of this year, to eliminate physical contacts with NIS officials. We shall continue to introduce necessary and available innovations to passport administration in order to best serve applicants in our quest for establishing citizenship integrity,” the Minister stated.
While speaking, Governor Nyesom Wike, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Ipalibo Gogo Banigo, promised to continue to support the Nigeria Immigration Service in the state, as it was the policy of his administration.
“We would continue to support the Nigeria Immigration Service, just as we provided the building now housing the production centre.
“Just as we provide support to all security agencies in the state and in particular, the agencies under the ministry of Interior, we would continue to prioritize the welfare of the citizens of the state,” Gov. Wike stated.
During his opening address, Acting Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Idris Isah Jere, revealed that the service will no longer condone any act of indiscipline by officer, noting that they must be professional in carrying out their assigned duties.
Also at the event were: the General Officer Commanding, 6 Division, Nigerian Army, represented by Brig. General EC Echebuwe; Commander, 115 Special Operations Group, Group Captain AA Opaleye; Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, Mr. Friday, Eboka; Controller of Customs, Rivers State Command, Dappa Williams; Rivers State Director, Department of State Services, Mr. Mohammed Shittu; Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, Umar Salisu Galadunchi; Rivers State Commander, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Mark Balm; amongst other dignitaries.
The Federal Government says it plans to lift
five million young Nigerians out of poverty through its skills acquisition and empowerment programmes aimed at promoting sustainable livelihoods.
The initiative, being implemented under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS), is designed to equip young Nigerians with practical, market-relevant skills to enhance their economic independence and employability.
Dr Abiola Arogundade, Senior Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education (OSSAP-TVEE), coordinator of the programme, disclosed this on Monday in Ibadan at the commencement of the programme’s Oyo State phase which will run from September 28 to October 9.
She said the training is part of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to empowering Nigerians through technical, vocational and entrepreneurial education.
Arogundade said the programme, which commenced in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), had moved to Oyo State and would be extended to other states and geopolitical zones across the country.
Under the Oyo State phase, 200 young Nigerians are being trained in Graphics and Artificial Intelligence (AI), makeup artistry and fashion designing.
Of the beneficiaries, 30 participants are undergoing training in Graphics/AI, while 85 each are receiving training in makeup artistry and fashion designing.
Arogundade said the initiative went beyond skills acquisition, adding that beneficiaries would be connected to organisations and business opportunities to support their transition into sustainable livelihoods.
“So with this programme, we are training 200 people. We will also be distributing 500 tablets during the grand finale of the programme as part of the Federal Government’s digital empowerment drive.
“We are directly empowering 700 people in this programme and there will be multiplier effect.
“We are not just training them for themselves but we are training them for their communities, for the population, and for all the states in Nigeria,” she said.
She urged participants to take the training seriously, maximise the opportunity and use their newly acquired skills to empower others within their communities.
“I want to just encourage them to do their best.
“I want to encourage them to know that President Bola Tinubu is thinking about all Nigerians, all young Nigerians in the country and ready to address their plights,” she said.
The presidential aide reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to creating opportunities for young Nigerians to become economically self-reliant through practical training and entrepreneurship development.
Earlier, the keynote speaker for the Graphics/AI training, Mrs Oluronke Shonubi, said the growing adoption of artificial intelligence presented Nigeria with opportunities to accelerate development, improve employability and prepare young people for emerging jobs.
One of the beneficiaries, Idowu Olalere, a 400-level student of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for providing young Nigerians with opportunities to acquire emerging digital skills.
Olalere said the training would help bridge the gap between existing skills and evolving labour market requirements.
Two other beneficiaries, Mrs Iyabo Ajayi, a makeup trainee, and Fatunbi Joshua, a fashion designing trainee, also expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for the opportunity.
They expressed optimism that the initiative would contribute to reducing unemployment by equipping participants with practical skills and opportunities for self-employment.
At the conclusion of the training, participants will receive laptops, sewing machines and fully equipped makeup kits to support their entrepreneurial pursuits and facilitate the establishment of sustainable businesses.
The programme forms part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to promote inclusive economic growth, reduce poverty and expand opportunities for young Nigerians through technical and vocational education.
The Executive Governor of Zamfara State, His Excellency Dr Dauda Lawal, alongside other state governors and the President’s Chief of Staff, will represent Nigeria at the Canada–Africa Summit on digital rails and inclusive growth. The maiden investment summit is scheduled to take place in Toronto from August 10 to 15, 2026.
The Presidency’s invitation to Governor Lawal emphasised that his participation would strengthen Nigeria’s diplomatic and economic standing at the Nigeria Diaspora Investment Economic Conference (NDIEC). NIDEC is a leading global platform where governments, investors, multinational companies, development finance institutions, foundations and partners converge to form strategic partnerships and explore investment opportunities.
The summit is expected to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s goals through the National Energy Transition Plan, positioning Nigeria as a key partner in Africa–Canada economic cooperation.
The Zamfara State Government views NIDEC as more than just a diplomatic engagement, it is a strategic economic mission aimed at attracting investment, technology transfer, development funding and technical partnerships to drive the state’s economic transformation. Governor Lawal’s involvement will help position Zamfara as Nigeria’s emerging hub for agribusiness, strategic minerals development, human capital growth and digital innovation.
Nigeria’s delegation also includes the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; the governors Charles Soludo of Anambra State, Prof. Babagana Zulum of Borno State, Sen. Uba Sani of Kaduna State, and Caleb Muftwang of Plateau State; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole; Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, among others.
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