THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has announced that his ministry would soon establish new passport processing and collection centres, especially for Nigerians in the diaspora, to decongest the influx of people at the already established centres as well as fast track service operations.
The Minister made the policy statement at the just-concluded 6th Edition of the Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit, organised by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) and the Nigeria Diaspora Summit Initiative, in Abuja.
“Nigerians, especially diaspora Nigerians are to enjoy a seamless passport process and issuance system,” Tunji-Ojo pledged. The Minister also informed his audience at the event that a fully biometric immigration application process as obtainable in most foreign countries to reduce human contact and convenient passport collection is underway.
According to him, “Nigerians at home and in the diaspora deserve the best. They don’t have to suffer or sweat to get the Nigerian passport”.
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Hon Tunji-Ojo guaranteed that these changes will be effective from February 2024, revealing that a team from the Ministry will kick-start the supervision of the E8-Mandate in the UK, as the first place on the assignment.
He further urged the public to report any unethical behaviour by officers in the Ministry and its respective parastatals, as a deterrent to curbing the menace of corruption in the system and boost effectiveness in service delivery to Nigerians.
Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa commended the Minister for his positive disposition towards the plight of Nigerians in the diaspora particularly regarding passport issuance. According to her, “the key thing is, we have to encourage our brothers and sisters in the diaspora to come home and invest by creating a conducive environment with these packages.”
Gabriel Odu
The author is a staff member of the Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit of NiDCOM
