The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has strongly condemned what he considers undue hardship faced by Nigerians, especially married women, in the process of changing passport data. Labeling the practice as “stupid” and inhumane, he expressed dissatisfaction with the requirement for married women to travel to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) headquarters in Abuja for a simple data change.
During a recent dinner with members of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu ABAT Media Centre and social media influencers in Abuja, Hon. Tunji-Ojo criticized the impracticality of subjecting women to such inconveniences solely because of marriage.
He questioned the logic behind compelling women to travel long distances from places like Kaura Namoda or Enugu to Abuja for a basic name change in their passports. The minister challenged whether immigration personnel in Abuja possessed unique capabilities compared to their counterparts in various passport offices across the Federation.
The minister emphasized that passport-related issues are of minimal concern to him and highlighted his focus on fortifying the country’s borders. He announced upcoming passport reforms, scheduled to be implemented from March, which would introduce contactless biometrics enrolment, allowing Nigerians to complete the process from the comfort of their homes.
“With the new reforms, you don’t need to travel to Abuja to change your data. Everything will be online.
“From March, once you have ever enrolled for your passport and are coming to renew, please don’t come to my office, stay in your house and do it. We have contactless biometrics and this can be done in five minutes. We don’t need to keep taking your biometrics every five years. Who does that in the world?
“This is what #RenewedHope is about. It is about positively disrupting the process. By the grace of God, the issue of a passport is the least of our worries”, the minister stated.
Tunji-Ojo attributed these reforms to the #RenewedHope initiative, aiming to bring positive changes to bureaucratic processes. He reiterated that passport-related issues are the least of the country’s concerns.
While announcing plans for a forum to unveil the ministry’s agenda for 2024, the minister emphasized the importance of knowledge transfer and training for officers handling passport issues. He urged Nigerians to maintain faith in the Tinubu administration, asserting that President Tinubu has provided strong leadership for the country.
Babatunde Alao, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Minister, commended Dr. Tunji-Ojo’s efforts in aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and representing Nigerian youths credibly in government.
