The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has revealed that it cleared a backlog of over 200,000 passport applications in the first quarter of 2024. This achievement, highlighted during the NIS End-of-Year Dinner and Awards Night in Abuja, reflected the agency’s commitment to enhancing service delivery and streamlining passport processing.

Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nana Nandap, credited the success to the dedication of NIS personnel and the implementation of innovative measures, including the rollout of the enhanced e-passport and automation of the application process.

The event also featured the unveiling of two groundbreaking policy documents, the Career Progression and Training Policy Framework (CPTF) and the NIS Gender Policy, aimed at enhancing career development and fostering an inclusive working environment within the service.

Nandap highlighted several key milestones achieved by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in 2024, including the completion of a state-of-the-art Command-and-Control and Integrated Data Centre at the NIS headquarters and the installation of e-gates at international airports to facilitate seamless travel.

The agency rolled out the enhanced e-passport (B-series) across missions abroad, alongside automating the passport acquisition process in select destinations.

Other achievements, according to the agency, include the establishment of a national database for joint reporting on Smuggling of Migrants (SOM) and Trafficking in Persons (TIP) cases, as well as the launch of the MoNIS Project in collaboration with China to build capacity for e-Border Management.

NIS also said it successfully promoted and advanced over 14,000 personnel within the year, adding that Nigeria achieved certification from IATA for API/PNR operationalisation and from ICAO for PKD/PKI compliance, marking significant strides in immigration standards and security.