The Nigeria Immigration Service has received a consignment of 50,000 passport booklets to address the backlog of passports estimated to be about 33,000 nationwide.Our correspondent learnt on Thursday in Abuja that the passports were airfreighted from Malaysia into the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, last week.

Findings also indicated that the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mohammed Babandede, has deployed a task force to Lagos to clear the backlog of passports in the state.

This followed reports that thousands of Nigerians who applied for the regular passports in the state were unable to access them after paying for the document.

But a senior NIS officer who spoke on condition of anonymity informed The PUNCH that the special team would be deployed in Festac, Alausa, and Ikoyi to fast-track the process of passport production and clear the backlogs.

The team, it was gathered, arrived the state on Wednesday from Abuja with adequate number of passport booklets to satisfy demands and put touts operating in the passport offices out of business.

The task force was also expected to resolve complaints from members of the public and recommend for sanction immigration personnel found wanting in the discharge of their duties.

The team has two weeks to discharge its responsibility of ensuring efficient processing of applications and prompt issuance to applicants.

It was gathered that the CG was concerned by reports that touts were working with some NIS personnel to create artificial scarcity in Lagos state.

This, it was learnt informed the removal of the officer in-charge of the Festac passport office about two weeks ago.

Our correspondent also learnt that the CG has also dispatched two officers to New York, United States to address the passport shortfall in the city and environs, said to be 976.

“The officers would also visit Atlanta passport office to clear the backlog of passport applications, which is about 1,319.

“The immigration service has enough passport booklets in stock to meet public demand,” a source assured.

The NIS Public Relations Officer, Sunday James, confirmed that the task force was already on the ground in Lagos, adding that the men had taken over at the various passport offices.

“Most of the issues had been sorted out, and the backlog in Ikoyi and Alausa passport offices has been cleared. It remains that of Festac Town, which would be resolved by the weekend,” he explained.

James disclosed that from January to date, the Alausa NIS office had processed 48,460 passports, adding that Ikoyi received 101,460 applications but processed 92,560.

He stated that the figure for the Festac office was not available at the moment.

Punchng

​