The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Ikoyi Passport Office, Lagos, has revealed that 3,000 passports are ready for collection.
This is coming a few days after the Ikoyi Office of the NIS in Lagos, announced its staff will now work 7 days a week, thereby extending its working days to include Saturdays and Sundays to meet the demands of its applicants.
This was confirmed by the Deputy Controller and Passport Control Officer (PCO) in charge of the office, Mr Ibrahim Liman on Monday.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Liman said that the office had put calls through to applicants whose passports were ready for collection.
Liman said the need for discreet investigation to determine the eligibility of applicants might delay the timely release of the passports.
He said, “The Ikoyi Passport Office is fully committed to efficient service delivery and it will not relent in justifying its operational mandate.
As the PCO of Ikoyi, I will always work with integrity. I don’t have anything to hide, the office operates an open door policy.’’
Liman issued a warning to racketeers, asking them to desist from their acts or face the consequences.
He said, “NIS would not hesitate to discipline anyone found to be involved in defrauding or shortchanging any applicants.’’
It can be recalled that earlier in May, the NIS suspended the processing of new international passports to enable it clear the backlogs of applications.
