No fewer than 32,462 individuals have applied for international passports and submitted their documents through the Nigeria Immigration Service site between January 8 and 21, 2024.
According to reports, 15,113 of these applications have already received approval for biometric capture and production, constituting fifty percent of the total applications.
The disclosure came from Caroline Adepoju, the Comptroller-General of the Immigration Service, who shared a summary of passport applications for the year 2024 during her visit to Ikoyi and Alausa passport offices.
Adepoju revealed that, of the total applications, 11,505 were pending approval, while 3,406 individuals who had made payments were yet to book appointments. Additionally, 1,438 applications were subjected to queries for various reasons.
Providing insights into the automated passport application process, Adepoju emphasized that 50 percent of applications had successfully navigated the approval process for biometric capture and production.
She further clarified that 35 percent awaited approval, 11 percent had made payments but were awaiting appointment bookings, and only four percent faced queries.
While addressing the recent reforms in passport application procedures, Adepoju highlighted the shift to online document uploads as a significant change.
She stressed that the move aimed to streamline the application process, reduce human interface, and address issues such as extortion by touts.
Adepoju urged patience from Nigerian citizens, emphasizing the commitment of the Nigeria Immigration Service to perfecting the automated passport application process.
She assured the public that the help desk is operational 24/7 to address any concerns or issues that may arise during the application process.