Nigerians question NIS competence as new tech glitch cripples passport issuance, prevents travel
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Citizens have expressed a new level of frustration with obtaining the Nigerian passport after the latest technical glitch announced by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) shattered the seamless process touted by Interior Minister Bunmi Tunji-Ojo just after a few months of its operation.
The NIS last week increased the price of a 32-page five-year validity passport from N35,000 to N50,000 and that of a 64-page 10-year validity from N70,000 to N100,000 beginning September 1.
However, passport applicants are already counting their losses as the NIS payment portal has developed technical difficulties after a recent revamp that lasted months.
The NIS announced the hitch last weekend in a statement titled, “Technical Glitches with Online Payment Platform” and expressed regret for the inconvenience caused.
It gave an assurance that seamless service will be restored soon, but applicants decried the system and wondered why it is taking long to fix the hitch.
Epa Stevens, fintech analyst in Lagos, argued that platforms like Interswitch and Remita have supported the Treasury Single Account (TSA) operated by the government which ensures all monies paid to ministries, departments, and agencies go into the same account.
“However, with NIS transition to a new payment platform, we’ve witnessed a breakdown. This disrupts services and raises concerns about adequacy of the platform to handle demands of TSA effectively,” Stevens said, per The Nation.
One Michael Adigun complained he cannot afford the new passport fee.
And Obinna Okafor, an importer, who needs to travel to China, insisted the “NIS should provide [an] alternative payment channel.”
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