The automated passport application process will start “in the next one week,” according to a promise made by Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
The minister said this on Channels Television’s political show the following day.
The minister said that “99%” of the technology for the feature that lets people apply for passports automatically was finished.
As it turns out, the testing is done, and the live launch should happen sometime next week. As I already said, that will make sure that all Nigerians have to do in an immigration or visa center is biometrics, which means taking their fingerprints.
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The minister was asked if Nigerian citizens could submit their applications from the comfort of their homes by the program anchor, Seun Okin, to which Tunji-Ojo responded, “Of course!”
The minister said uploading passport photos and supporting papers would be part of the automated application process.
“That’s not what we did. We’ve been through it. When they came to do a show, I saw some mistakes and told them, “You know this can’t be this.” They said they would go live when they got back.
According to Tunji-Ojo, the technology was meant to make applying for a visa easier for Nigerians, but national security was also a top priority for the Federal Government.
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The goal is to balance national security and ease of use. The middle point must exist. You can’t cause pain in the name of making people feel safer. “You have to find a place to meet that is safe and comfortable,” the minister said.
In addition, the minister said that all of Nigeria’s foreign airports would have electronic gates by February 2024.
“If you are Nigerian and coming to Nigeria, you don’t need to see an immigration officer unless you are a person of interest,” Tunji-Ojo said.