A civil society organisation, Citizens Common Advocacy International, has condemned the poor service delivery of the Nigerian Immigration Service.
According to the organisation, the disposition of the NIS towards passport issuance is below par and cannot continue the way it is.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Citizens Common chief executive, Olalekan Oshunkoya, said the mandate to issue passports which is the duty of the NIS is a public service which should be treated as a commercial transaction because it is paid for.
He added that as such, the NIS must be held accountable when they fail or perform below what is required.
Using the situation of Benita Ezumezu, a staff of Citizens Common as a case study, Oshunkoya narrated that she applied for a passport with the NIS with the hopes of getting it in six weeks after meeting all stipulated requirements but to her dismay, sixteen weeks down the line, she was yet to receive it.
He added that, after exhausting all avenues to obtain her passport, and with the failure of the immigration authorities to issue it on time, costing her professional development opportunities requiring overseas travel, she had to approach the court to seek the enforcement of her fundamental rights.
He said, “The service quality of the Nigerian Immigration Service has diminished to an all-time low in the last few years. The frustrating experiences of Nigerians seeking to procure international passports in the hands of the NIS officials must be stopped.
“We know Benita‘s plight is similar to hundreds of thousands of Nigerians who continue to suffer immeasurable losses from poor service delivery and corruption within the ranks.
“The six weeks collection window is continuously communicated by the NIS officials as the expected service timeline but has not been adhered to in this instance and many more cases”.
He said, “The continuous delay in the issuance of passports to qualified Nigerians without just cause is unacceptable, and the Nigerian Immigration Service as well as the minister of Interior must be held accountable for this anomaly.
“It is surprising that despite the array of agile productivity-enhancing technology available to the NIS and billions of naira in revenue and investment of taxpayers money, they continue to disappoint Nigerians. It is time they start paying for these delays”.
