The Nigerian government is set to revolutionize its passport application process with a complete digitalization drive. By March 1, 2025, all applications will be processed online, marking a significant step towards enhanced efficiency and reduced corruption. This initiative includes the establishment of a centralized passport approval center, contactless application options, and domestic passport production.
On January 21, 2025, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Nigerian Minister of Interior, announced a significant digital transformation of the passport application process. Aiming to enhance efficiency and eradicate corruption, all passport applications will be processed online by March 1, 2025. This move incorporates the establishment of a centralized passport approval center, designed to bolster security and minimize human intervention in the process.
Tunji-Ojo emphasized the transformative potential of this initiative, stating, 'With what we have now, over 100 people can apply for a passport at a time without any physical intervention or appearance or queue. We've been able to open up a space and relocate immigration offices to everybody's phone; and that is what technology is all about. Technology is about efficiency, value addition, effectiveness and solutions; and that's what we've been able to do.' A key aspect of this digitalization drive is the introduction of a contactless passport application service, currently operational in Canada, which will be launched in Nigeria by March. 'In Canada, contactless is live; By February 1, by the grace of God, Europe is coming on board. And of course, by March 1, four states in Nigeria are also coming live; which is Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and River States,' announced Tunji-Ojo. The minister highlighted the advantages of this contactless system, explaining, 'We don't think it should be a solution only for foreigners, but also for Nigerians. One advantage is that it eradicates corruption. You can't collect money from who you don't see, so we want to reduce the human interface as much as we can.'Furthermore, Tunji-Ojo announced plans to centralize passport production in Nigeria, ensuring that all Nigerian passports, regardless of their application location, will be printed domestically by May 1. 'By May 1, we are moving to the permanent location of a centralized production center. It means that all Nigerian passports anywhere in the world will be printed in Nigeria,' he stated. 'This means we join the league of countries like the United States, like Britain, like Canada, and all other major countries in the world that centralize passport personalization procedures.' To address Nigeria's longstanding data management challenges, a massive 8.3-petabyte data center has been established. This facility marks a significant advancement, replacing the previous reliance on private contractors for data storage, a practice that violated the Data Protection Act. 'We were able to build one of the biggest data centers in the history of Nigeria, which is the 8.3-petabyte centre,' Tunji-Ojo said. 'Before then, we inherited a Nigeria Immigration Service that had no data centre; where the data of Nigerians was obviously being saved in private capacities with various contractors, and that was a gross contravention of the Data Protection Act. Nigeria cannot proliferate the issuance of its security document because it is a gross violation of due process. And so, we decided to find a lasting solution to that. We started by promising Nigerians a 1.4-petabyte data centre, but we ended up delivering an 8.3-petabyte data centre — one of the largest in the world.' The Minister reiterated the government's dedication to ensuring the accessibility of passports, emphasizing their crucial role in national security and sovereignty
PASSPORTS DIGITALIZATION NIGERIA CORRUPTION EFFICIENCY DATA CENTRE
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