Chinedu Eze
When the new passport processing regime kicked off on June 1, 2021 by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), it was supposed to be transparent and a more expedited system that would make it easy for applicants to obtain their passports, but THISDAY can confirm that it has become a cesspool of corruption.
The new system takes three months for an applicant to obtain his passport, so applicants bribe Passport Control Officers (PCOs) in order to obtain their passports within a shorter period of time.
To obtain a new passport, an applicant is expected to go online at the Nigerian Immigration Service portal and apply, make payment, select the particular passport office and date, but THISDAY learnt that after the application, some applicants could be asked to come for capture within average of three months.
Many applicants who wished to acquire new passport or renew existing ones find it extremely difficult to wait for that period, so they go…
Source: Thisday Newspaper
