THE Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has directed passport offices across the country to work on Saturdays to clear backlogs of passport applications.
A statement released by the Public Relations Officer of the Service, Tony Akuneme, on Saturday, November 26, in Abuja, said the directive was issued by the Comptroller-General, Isa Jere.
According to the statement, the directive was aimed at reducing backlogs of pending applications caused by the prolonged lockdown in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“The Comptroller-General has directed that passport offices across the country with a high volume of pending applications to work on Saturdays.
“The period for this exercise is expected to be every Saturday commencing from December 3, 2022, to January 28, 2023, between the period of 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m,” the statement said.
The Saturday preceeding the Christmas and New Year holidays are exempted, according to the statement.
The Comptroller-General also approved the deployment of passport controllers to Ondo and Ekiti states to enhance service delivery to members of the public.
The statement added that going forward, the Comptroller-General will hold passport officers accountable for any acts of indiscipline by officers under their watch.
According to the statement, the Comptroller-General is determined to make passport services available and stress free to the traveling public, especially during the festive season.
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