As Nigerians Begin To Use The Ecowas Passport July 25

Nigeria begins usage of ECOWAS passport July 25
Beginning from July 25 this year, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) will officially stop the issuance of the current Nigerian international passport and commence the issuance of the harmonised ECOWAS smart passport (e Passport). But the machine readable passport currently in use, will continue to exist alongside the harmonised ECOWAS passport for one year before being eventually phased out. Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr. Joseph Udeh on Thursday began a sensitisation campaign to create the needed awareness for the new regime. He told newsmen in Abuja that the project, which was initiated in 2003, would be officially flagged-off by President Umaru Yar'Adua on July 25. Udeh said the new passport would be driven by an electronic chip. It would contain biometric data including finger prints. Noting that Nigeria would be the first country in Africa to adopt the electronic passport system, Udeh is convinced that the new regime would go a long way to redeem the image of the Nigerian passport and make it more acceptable in the international community. The Immigration chief put the price of the new passport at N8,750, adding that the current version still goes for N5,100.