Reports indicate that the delay is due to a shortage of materials for passport printing.

The affected undergraduates, distressed by the situation, have reached out to their parents, warning them of the potential deportation if their documents are not renewed.

The Nigerian Immigration Service office in Russia has reportedly been unable to process renewals due to these material shortages.

Parent Yakubu Tauheed Bina expressed frustration over the situation, noting that it would cost him over N5 million for his son to return to Nigeria and renew his passport.

Speaking to journalists in Minna, Bina questioned the Nigerian Embassy’s failure to resolve the issue and whether the federal government is adequately funding the embassy.

He urged both Federal and State governments to assist Nigerian students abroad by ensuring prompt passport renewals to prevent deportation and other related issues.

During his visit to the council chairman on Tuesday in Lagos, Dangana emphasized the crucial role the local government can play in curbing the influx of irregular immigrants and the associated security threats.

The comptroller urged the local government to engage residents in raising awareness about identifying and reporting unfamiliar and suspicious individuals to the immigration office for prompt action.

Dangana stated, “The cooperation of the local government would help identify illegal immigrants and help check threats posed by them.”

He encouraged the public to utilize the new platform for passport applications, emphasizing the integration of local government authorities in the process through the issuance of certificates of recognition to applicants.

In addition to seeking support, Dangana requested office accommodation to enhance the effective operation of immigration officials in Mushin local government.

He also assured addressing challenges and concerns related to passport issuance raised by the people of Mushin through the immigration office.

The NIS boss stated that the acquisition of surveillance equipment like drones and helicopters is significant for monitoring the movement of people and items through the nation’s borders.

Adepoju made this known on Wednesday at a retreat organised by the NIS, Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command, Lagos State, tagged, ‘One Impression: Inter-agency collaboration.’

She recalled that the NIS had, at some point, had its own aircraft, adding that the service is working to “ensure that NIS gets its aircraft back. We used to have aircraft for border surveillance. We are now putting this into our budget.

“We are going to buy aircraft, we will buy drones. We are going to buy helicopters to ensure that we effectively do aerial border management.”

Adepoju further said that, by 2024, the NIS will deploy the use of the electronic gate to ease the passage of nationals through the air, land, and sea borders.

According to her, the e-gate, through biometric identity verification, will provide a seamless experience for travellers across all national borders, thereby minimising the need for direct interaction with immigration officers.

“Very soon, NIS will be deploying the e-gate to make it seamless for our nationals to come in, make it less stressful.

“In the early part of 2024, we will deploy the e-gate, ensuring that our MIDAS will improve on them, ensuring our borders, air, land and sea are fortified.

“The electronic gate, for example, our nationals may not need, except they are persons of interest, to be attended to by immigration officers. “

The new Senior Special Assistant to the President, National Values and Social Justice, Mr. Fela Durotoye, urged agencies working at the airport to work together and disseminate relevant intelligence.

Comptroller of NIS, MMIA Command, Mrs Adeola Adesokan, praised the collaborative efforts among security operatives and border management officials at the airport, which had facilitated the influx of investors into the country.

Speaking, the Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Mr. Kabir Yusuf, who was represented by the Regional Manager, Southwest/Airport manager, Mr. Sunday Ayodele, craved support in infrastructure to change the face of facilitation at the airport

He said the air travel value chain continues to harvest the benefits of collaboration among agencies at the Lagos Airport.

Dr. Adedotun Aridegbe, the Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO) Deputy Comptroller of Immigration (DCI), conveyed this alert through a statement released on Wednesday.

Aridegbe clarified that legitimate recruitment invitation letters for the NIS can only be obtained from the official recruitment portal of the service.

Consequently, he cautioned that any other type of invitation received by applicants directly from sources other than the official portal is fraudulent.

“The attention of the acting Comptroller General of NIS, Caroline Adepoju, has been drawn to the activities of some fraudsters, who are deceiving members of the public with fake invitation letters for recruitment into the NIS.

“The service hereby wishes to state that all invitations for recruitment into the NIS can only be downloaded from its official recruitment portal.

“All other forms of invites from any source and through any medium sent directly to applicants are fake,” part of the statement read.

In a recent interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily program, NIS Acting Comptroller General, Caroline Adepoju, highlighted the service’s commitment to eliminate human interaction in the passport application process.

Adepoju emphasized that the NIS has witnessed an unprecedented surge in passport applications over the past two years and is determined to meet the expectations of the public. To achieve this, the NIS has made passport applications available online and is actively encouraging applicants to use the digital platform to avoid dealing with intermediaries or touts.

While acknowledging that security measures are essential for passport issuance, Adepoju urged Nigerians to plan ahead. She advised passport renewal applicants to begin the process six months before their current passport expires. Additionally, for fresh applicants, she encouraged early application, emphasizing that waiting until the last moment can lead to unnecessary delays.

Adepoju shed light on the time frames for obtaining passports, stating that fresh applications take approximately six weeks to process, while renewals can be completed in three weeks. Considering the current crowds at passport offices, the NIS is exploring solutions to streamline the renewal process further. The agency is working towards enabling online passport renewals for applicants whose data is already on record, thereby reducing the number of in-person visits and optimizing efficiency.

With this technological advancement, the NIS aims to enhance the passport application experience for Nigerians, making it more convenient and expedient.

Caroline Adepoju, the Acting Comptroller General of NIS during her recent visit to Lagos, emphasized the urgent need to address the numerous challenges faced by Nigerians in obtaining international passports.

In a statement released by the Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO), Mr. Tony Akuneme, it was announced that the acting CGI inaugurated a state-of-the-art Visa-on-Arrival Lounge at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

This facility not only showcases the NIS’s dedication to enhancing the overall travel experience for visitors entering Nigeria but also serves as a platform to announce a comprehensive plan of action in addressing the passport issues effectively.

The state of emergency declaration regarding passport matters signifies the renewed commitment of the NIS to resolving the obstacles faced by Nigerians in their quest to acquire passports.

Adepoju stressed the importance of efficiency, transparency, and service excellence, urging all stakeholders to prioritize these values.

To ensure swift passport processing, Adepoju issued directives to Passport Control Officers, relevant units, personnel, and even Missions abroad. Their collective goal is to eliminate any hindrances preventing Nigerians from promptly accessing passports.

Leveraging technology and implementing robust administrative measures, the NIS aims to streamline the application and issuance process.

In light of the passport crisis, Adepoju called upon all Nigerians to exercise patience and cooperate with the service as it takes decisive steps to address the issue.

The Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) announced the start of the process.

The board invited applications from suitably qualified candidates for full-time appointments to fill vacancies.

The positions are Superintendent Of Immigration (SI) CONPASS 11 (Medical Doctors), Deputy Superintendent Of Immigration (DSI) CONPASS 10 (Pharmacists), Assistant Superintendent Of Immigration II (ASI II) CONPASS 08.

Others are Inspector Of Immigration (II) CONPASS 07 (Nursing), Assistant Inspector Of Immigration (All), General Duty, CONPASS 06.

The rest include Immigration Assistant III (IA III) CONPASS 03 General Duty, Immigration Assistant III (IA III) CONPASS 03 Artisans (Motor Driver, Mechanic).

Candidates are to log on to https://cdcfib.career from today January 16, fill and submit the application form online.

Multiple applications will automatically be disqualified. The deadline for submission is January 30.

Requirements: Applicants must be Nigerians by birth; Have National Identity Number (NIN); Have requisite qualifications and certificates; Be fit and present certificates of medical fitness from government-recognized hospitals.

Applicants must be of good character and must not have been convicted of any criminal offences; they will be required to undergo drug test.

Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 30 years with the exception of Doctors and Pharmacists, who must not be more than 35 Years; Height must not be less than 1.65m for male and 1.60m for female.

Applicants’ chest measurement must not be less than 0.87 for men; Computer literacy is added advantage; Any certificate or qualification not declared and accepted during documentation will not be accepted after the recruitment.

The date for the computer-based test (CBT) for shortlisted candidates will be communicated in due course.

The NIS spokesperson, Mr Tony Akuneme, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja.

Akuneme said the Comptroller-General, Mr Isa Jere, had dispatched Assistant Comptrollers General to the various zones to ensure that all uncollected passports were distributed to their owners.

“Nigerians are equally urged to go to the passport offices where they applied for passports and check,” he said.

Akuneme further advised passport applicants to refrain from going through third parties to ensure the timely processing of their applications.

“We discovered that over 60% of passport applications are completed by third parties who input wrong contact information for their “clients”.

“So, we encourage Nigerians to endeavour to fill their passport applications by themselves and to contact us using any of our mediums,” he said.

In a statement by the state Comptroller, Mr Sunday James, the command cited the ECOWAS Travel Certificate as one of the means adopted by the human traffickers in their illicit business.

James claimed that the perpetrators use the ECOWAS travel document “to evade security checks and avoid suspicion and transport their victims to any of the regional body’s member states.”

He added, “A victim by the name Miss Maureen Ekpe was stopped and denied facility after a thorough investigation, while the purported trafficker is at large, the victim was released to her family with a warning.”

According to him, the suspected human traffickers also use the same travel paper “to evade stringent checks at the airport and lower the level of suspicion given the limitation of countries the document is valid for travel.”

James added, “The command noticed a sudden increase in the rate at which young people patronised the ECOWAS Travel Certificate and did a risk analysis and a checklist of the age group that goes for it, the reasons given for the travel and countries where the holders of the document frequent.

“It was on this ground that the unit directly responsible for the issuance, ECOWAS Unit, was tasked to add a security document to the requirement, call the Suspicious Travel Interrogation Form which was zero down to any suspected case and has yielded results.

“So far it has helped in rescuing two victims by denying them the facility and denying several others without genuine reasons after due diligent interrogation.

“In one of the cases the trafficker, who is at large after the victim was stopped, prompted our alert system and gave the command the idea behind the increasing demand for the document against the conventional passport.”

James said the state NIS command would not relent until the syndicates were exposed, stressing that justified trips without any link to Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants are established through the use of interrogative process and vital intelligence tools to fight the menace.

The state NIS Comptroller called on parents and guardians not to release their children and wards to people with hidden identities and motives.

The Service, however, stated that they must show their expired Nigeria’s passport to ensure they were truly from Nigeria.

Mr Tony Akuneme, the NIS Public Relations Officer, disclosed this in an interview with Newsmen in Abuja.

Akuneme was reacting to inquiries about the new visa policy of the Federal Government which said that Nigerians with dual citizenship don’t need visa to visit home.

“The statu of the new policy is that Nigerians with dual citizenship are free to come to Nigeria but with their Nigeria passport even if it’s expired.

“You have to show that you are a Nigerian, that is why we say they can come with their expired passport. Dual citizenship means carrying two passports.

“Unlike before that when your passport is expired you will not be allowed to come to the country, now we can allow them to travel in with their expired Nigeria passport”, he said.

Akuneme further explained that although the essence was to allow them return home, they will be required to renew the passport before returning to their destinations.

“The whole essence is that when they arrive, they must renew their Nigeria passport before going back,” the NIS spokesman added.