A Senate delegation led by Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila, Chairman of the Committee on Petroleum Resources Downstream and lawmaker for Kano South, visited the Nigeria Immigration Service headquarters in Abuja on a fact finding mission over the relocation of passport production to a centralised facility.
The Comptroller General, KN Nandap, represented by Deputy Comptroller General Franca Nwanneka, received the delegation alongside members of NIS top management. The visit was triggered by concerns raised by constituents and other Nigerians about the shift of passport printing away from local offices to the centralised hub in Abuja.
Service officials used the meeting to walk the lawmakers through the reasoning behind the changeover, citing tighter security, the elimination of sharp practices along the processing chain and improved efficiency, transparency and accountability. Officials assured the delegation that every passport centre nationwide remains fully operational, with application submission, enrolment and biometric capture continuing as normal.
The Service explained that the migration is happening in phases, both within Nigeria and at missions abroad, as part of a broader reform of passport administration championed by the Ministry of Interior.
Senator Sumaila said he was satisfied with the explanations given and praised the reform, crediting the leadership of Minister of Interior Dr Olubunmi Tunji Ojo and the Comptroller General of Immigration. He pledged the National Assembly’s backing to see the initiative through.
The exchange offers some reassurance to Nigerians worried that passport services near them could disappear, even as the country consolidates its production system in the capital.
By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed
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