TheCable

The ministry of foreign affairs says Nigerian missions will soon commence delivering passports to its nationals through courier.

The ministry said this is to eliminate the stress Nigerians go through to visit the missions to keep interview appointments.

Some Nigerians had raised issues on improved services on visa, passport issuance, delivery and the need to get emergency travel certificates.

Gabriel Aduda, the ministry’s permanent secretary, told NAN that the ministry was already discussing with some courier companies to pilot the scheme.

“We have started with a new innovation and we are trying to keep Nigerians from travelling to missions for passport renewal,” he said.

“We are already talking with some courier companies that will pick passports to the applicants’ doorsteps when they have made all the necessary payments and fill the forms online.

“We don’t want them to come to the missions anymore; it will be delivered to them and we have four consulates to pilot the innovation.”

Reacting to the backlog of passports, Aduda said COVID-19 pandemic came with a dry spell in the production of passports, adding that it created a problem in all the missions across the world.

In another development, the Nigerian consulate in New York says it is making arrangement to enrol Nigerians within its jurisdiction for the national identification number (NIN).

Lot Egopija, consul-general, said this at a hybrid town hall meeting in New York for Nigerian nationals within the jurisdiction.

Egopija said the consulate had received a directive from the federal ministry of foreign affairs to enrol its nationals.

He said the consulate will soon conclude arrangements with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).