₦airaland Forum

Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Tuesday paid an unannounced visit to the Nigerian Immigration Service passport office in Gwagwalada, Abuja, where he criticised delays in passport processing and warned applicants against making extra payments.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs2Bx42bj3Q?si=KOUZuNinXyoREoXl

The minister inspected operations at the VIP and Children section of the passport office and engaged both officials and applicants, questioning why applicants were still waiting long after the office was expected to commence operations.

During the visit, Tunji-Ojo got feedback from applicants and cautioned them against paying money outside official fees, insisting that Nigerians had already paid fully for passport services.

“I don’t want to hear that you are collecting money for diesel or paper

Nigerians have paid for their passports completely. Serve them diligently,” the Minister said.

He expressed displeasure that only a few applicants had been attended to hours after opening time, despite the section being designated for expedited services.

“So it means that by 9:30am, I expect to see at least one or two applicants here. Because I can see some people waiting downstairs, and our responsibility is to be efficient,” the minister said.

Tunji-Ojo questioned officials on the pace of enrolment and biometric capturing, calculating that each applicant should be processed within minutes.

“How long does it take to do an enrolment? Three minutes. So three times seven, that is twenty-one minutes,” he said.

Immigration officers admitted that although the office was scheduled to open by 8am, operations began later after the generator was switched on at about 9am.

We are supposed to open by eight,” an official said, explaining that power was put on after applicants arrived.

The minister criticised the practice of completing enrolment for all applicants before commencing biometric capturing, insisting that both processes should be carried out simultaneously to reduce waiting time.

“It doesn’t make sense to me. People are there waiting.

“Some of these people still need to go to work. Some of these people have other things to do,” Tunji-Ojo added. “So why must you wait until you enrol everybody before you do capturing?,” the minister said.

He described the situation as unacceptable, stressing that delays defeated the purpose of service delivery.

“You are wasting people’s precious time. Time is money. Time is expensive. It is unacceptable,” he said.

Tunji-Ojo also faulted the under-utilisation of the VIP and Children section, noting that applicants waiting in other sections could have been redirected to ease congestion.

“It will not cost you anything if you use this place for them,” he said.

The minister reiterated that passport offices must prioritise efficiency and fairness.

“Nigeria has no VIP. When you wear this uniform, you wear a uniform of sacrifice. You are here to work for the people,” he said.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/punchng.com/interior-minister-visits-passport-office-unannounced-berates-delays/%3famp

Video here;


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs2Bx42bj3Q?si=KOUZuNinXyoREoXl

I love the fact that unscheduled visits are making these people stand on their toes

To get passport for Nigeria na by connection or extra payments if not, you go wait tire.
Just to get passport oo, something wey no supposed take 48 hours in a sane country.

Nice one, if you have any family members working in the civil service of any parastatals in Nigeria and they are making things difficult for us Nigerians, it will not be well with them.

I like the minister style of unscheduled visit. This helps to checkmate few excesses at the agencies

The days of immigration officers feeling like gods is over. The next place I wish we can have reform like this is health sector. Nurses are witches in white gown.

This kind of visits should not should extend over every political office, it shouldn't be only this minister, anyway I commend this minister for the great work he has been doing under this administration

Na civil servants be our problem. Or part of it

The interaction points to a need for clearer internal processes so enrolment and biometric capture can run concurrently without unnecessary delays.

Hon.Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo is performing his role as a minister, this will make the immigration officers serious on their job without collecting bribe.

I really love the unscheduled visits Minister did, it will make this officers in charge to take their job seriously.

Unscheduled visit, will keep them in check because they know their boss can come at any time

It's a good thing

Unscheduled visit should be done time to time👏👏👏

Mr eye service, why can't he do the right thing instead of this show off.

Time to do self employed whistle blowing job, I go blow am pass Wike. Report any officers that want spoil good things.

Freshandfitpod:
Mr eye service, why can't he do the right thing instead of this show off.

What is the right thing?

I humbly request to the minister of interior to visit Ibadan, the NIS officers in Ibadan need to wake up to their responsibility.

I truly like the leadership of the minister, he's very proactive. Imagine your Boss coming to your work place without you knowing omoh. This is the kind of visit that will make everybody to want to do well at their job because you won't know when he might just show up.

Weldone to the minister.

I can hardly tolerate this brand of political theatre, where office holders suddenly “discover” the very failures they were hired to fix.

Watching the minister stroll into a passport office and perform public shock over passport delays is almost farcical. Are we really to believe this rot just appeared overnight, or that it somehow thrived for years without his awareness?

Berating subordinates before cameras does not equal leadership. One cannot help but suspect this sudden burst of seriousness only came after he sensed the mess was about to be publicly exposed. Governance is not street theatre, Nigerians need action, not acting.

TheRareGem1:
Video here;


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs2Bx42bj3Q?si=KOUZuNinXyoREoXl

This is just common sense. You reserved a place for VIP's which is understandable but you don't get to see these people everyday. It's ideal you make use of it especially when people are long queues waiting while the so called VIP section is totally empty.

This is why I said the reason Nigeria isn't working is simply the "system" not the president or whoever is in charge. Look at what these officers are doing. Isn't this pure wickedness? The lady responding is just so lucky today, this is Abuja and if you are heading an office or the person in charge you need to sit up. It would have been a bonus to her and her team today if she kept up to her responsibilities, imagine if the minister had arrived a discovered that the VIP section has some persons in it who are not VIPs but was done to decongest the queue outside. Imagine the commendation that lady and her team would have gotten today? Some times make una no dey allow devil use una

We Nigerians we know the right thing to do but, we always want to be pushed or forced before we do our jobs we are being paid to do.

The immigration officers are not used to this kind of Minister.. hence their lackadaisical attitude to work.
They better sit up or else .

Very good reprimand from the Minister. They all better sit up. If they're tired, many are willing to take their place

Richtaiwo:
I can hardly tolerate this brand of political theatre, where office holders suddenly “discover” the very failures they were hired to fix.

Watching the minister stroll into a passport office and perform public shock over passport delays is almost farcical. Are we really to believe this rot just appeared overnight, or that it somehow thrived for years without his awareness?

Berating subordinates before cameras does not equal leadership. One cannot help but suspect this sudden burst of seriousness only came after he sensed the mess was about to be publicly exposed. Governance is not street theatre, Nigerians need action, not acting.

What are you saying in essence?

Honestly, an unscheduled visit to any organisation/institution remains the best way to get first-hand information and the reality of what has been happening.

Nigerians deserve the best.
Public servants need to learn accountability and discipline if they must provide the best service

I really like this people should understand that once you pay online no need of paying single individual again.

His honourable incompetence

What about the NIN server, did they buy fuel for the generator to run the server yet?

Nothing to see here, just a politician putting in an honest day's work. On to the next one.