TheCable

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has directed an immediate opening of passport desks in international airports in the country.

The directive is geared towards attending to Nigerians in the diaspora who plan to return home during the Yuletide.

In a statement on Monday, Tony Akuneme, NIS public relations officer, said the new policy is to ensure that there is a seamless passport process for all Nigerians coming home and those who may desire to process their passports.

“In line with this, CGIS has also directed passport offices across the country to give priority attention to such citizens living outside the country and their families, bearing in mind that most of them have a specific time of returning to their countries of residence,” the statement reads. 

“The CGIS affirmed the commitment of the service to continue rendering effective and efficient service delivery to all Nigerians both at home and abroad, as well as non-Nigerians who are desirous of using any of the service windows.”

The development is coming a few weeks after the NIS directed selected passport offices across the country to work on Saturdays until January 2023 in order to clear the backlog of applications.

Last month, the NIS said Nigerians in the diaspora with expired passports can return home without hassles.