By Ismail Auwal
The Federal Government has blamed the delay in international passport issuance on a rare but sudden failure of the National Identity Management Commission NIMC server.
Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Abdulrauf Aregbesola, stated this on Friday in Abuja during the Ministry’s 3rd and 4th Quarter 2021 Performance Review.
According to Aregbesola, the NIMC server failure makes biodata validation for passport applicants impossible.
He added that discrepancies in the names of citizens on their Passports and National Identification Number NIN also adds to the problem.
The minister said, “You must integrate your NIN with your Passport, without which we cannot issue a passport. So the delays therefore are not caused by us at all.”
He added that as long as that integration of biodata, also known as biometrics, with NIN number, which is on the NIMC database, cannot accept your biodata as similar or identical with the one in it to issue a passport, it will simply be impossible.
“Another problem is the applications themselves. Individuals shouldn’t be bearing different names on their NIN and passports. It won’t be a seamless integration.”
The minister asserted that there shouldn’t be a mix up of middle names in place of first names and vice versa, as it is on your NIMC so it should appear on your passport.
“These little things conspire against speedy processing of passports. I took time to explain this, because most Nigerians do not care about these minute details, they just heap the blame on the Nigeria Immigration Service.”
The Minister noted that soon, applicants will be able to track their applications online, adding that the Ministry and its sister agencies are not where they ought to be.
“I must say that our services have improved tremendously and quite noticeably too, with presentation of our performance at the Second Ministerial Retreat organized by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation which was applauded and well received.”
“We are not yet there by our own standards. Things are not yet where they are supposed to be, but I want to assure Nigerians that we will not rest on our oars”, he stated.
