The Lagos Zonal Command of the Nigerian Passport office has said the changes and improvement taking place at both Festac and Ikoyi passport issuing offices are to make the issuing process seamless and align it with global best practices.
Comptroller of Immigration, in charge of the command, Milka Parmata Musa, who received journalists on a familiarisation tour of the command, said the passport issuing process has been made to be more transparent, seamless and civil, as against the previous regime of disorderliness that it was known for.
“We need to be civil in our processes, we need to work in line with global changes; we needed to be transparent”, Musa noted.
She assured the journalists that there would be more changes coming to further improve on the process to ensure that Nigerians have the desired service in what she termed “The New Passport Regime.”
The journalists, who acknowledged the noticeable changes taking place at the two Lagos passport control offices, had asked that the command should not relent in its bid to give Nigerians good service.
Musa said over the years the command had looked at how other countries’ passport issuing systems work and have taken steps, which are still ongoing, to align its processes with best practices. She hinted at a plan for the command to host its first town hall meeting to intimate the public with the new regime.
“ You would see more of these improvements”, she promised, saying the crowd that used to mill around the entrance gates and premises of the passport offices is now under control, and with the advent of covid they have to design a method to ensure that people are sent notices through sms to come for their passports only when they are ready for collection.
According to her people who used to be scared any time they are coming to the passport offices because of the disorderly and crowded manner the process entailed, and environment are no longer scared.
She said more space has been created to receive people who come to be captured, after they have filled and submitted their passport applications online, and their passports are ready for collection.
” We have improve on our customer service approach, such that we now provide room and seats inside our premises for applicants who are waiting to be served could relax”, she added.
