The NIS Comptroller, in the state, Mr Simbabi Baikie, gave
the advice on Tuesday, at the 2022 SERVICOM week celebration of the command in
Calabar with theme “Excellence Service Delivery, a Panacea for Corruption.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Baikie was
represented by Mr Abubakar Abdulkadir, NIS Deputy Comptroller.
Baikie said that the command always met the demands of the
applicants, hence the need for them to show understanding while they await the
production of their passports.
The comptroller said that the customer week was to enlighten
members of the public on the internal and external services rendered by the
command and for feedback on areas to improve on.
He listed the services rendered to include monitoring of
entry and exit of immigrants into the country, issuing of temporary work
permit, diplomatic and tourist visas, and passports to eligible Nigerians.
Baikie said most Nigerians were impatient when applying for
their passports, hence the pressure on the passport control officer.
“Somebody can apply for his or her international passport
online and then visit the command that he wants the passport on that same day;
this is not possible.
“Applicants should not wait until they are in need of
passport before they come for it.
“Most Nigerians come to apply for passport a week to their
visa interview and want it within that week and this is not possible.
“Even if you don’t have any need for a passport, you can
have it as a bonafide Nigerian because it runs for several years.
“Anytime an opportunity comes, you can use your passport and
apply or go for the appointment, rather than come within a short time and put
us under pressure to produce it,” he said.
The comptroller, therefore, advised Nigerians to visit any
NIS passport office closer to them and apply for their international passports
accordingly.
He said that questionnaires had been sent out to members of
the public with a view to get their perception and areas the command could
improve upon.
Speaking, the Passport Control Officer of the Command, Mrs
Clementina Ogbudu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that her primary
responsibility was to issue passports to bonafide Nigerians, irrespective of
state or tribe.
Ogbudu said that between Jan. 4 and Feb. 14, the command
produced 1,617 passports, adding that 281 had been issued to the applicants
while others were still pending.
She said that an applicant seeking to have a passport must
meet certain requirements: produce a certificate of state of origin, a
declaration of age or birth certificate as the case may be and a guarantor who
has a valid passport.
She urged applicants to always be patient after the
application stage, and called on those yet to collect their passports to do so
accordingly. (NAN)
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