By Olamide Yinusa
Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola has urged Nigerians to stop patronising touts, scammers and unscrupulous immigration officials when applying for Nigerian passports.
Aregbesola, who gave the advice when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja said this was necessary to stop corruption in the system, saying Nigerians must resolve to send the touts, scammers and unscrupulous immigration officials out of business.
“An illegitimate business company had been created around passport and it required commitment, dedication and participation of Nigerians in eliminating and getting rid of such illegitimate business,” he said.
The minister said that as long as Nigerians wanted shortcut to passport processing, challenges would continue to occur in the issuance process.
According to him, those who patronise touts and unscrupulous passport officials are the ones mostly facing challenges with the process.
He therefore, said passport applicants must follow due process and help to eliminate corruption and infuse integrity into passport administration.
“Please, shun any appeal to get the passport through a third party, tout or scammers, by first of all, starting the process early.
“If I want to recommend, I will say begin, unless there is an emergency, begin the processing six months to either the expiration or renewal or getting a new one.
“If you start six months ahead, there will be no issue at all. And why is six months recommended by me? Because that is the minimum period that you can even process any visa,” he said.
Aregbesola said that within the six months, no matter how reckless the human factor involved may be, there would be no anxiety.
The minister called on the media and the public to help in curbing the menace and encourage passport applicants to do the right thing at all times.
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