The Acting Comptroller-General (ACG) of the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, Wura-Ola Adepoju has ordered probe into allegations of misconduct against some Immigration personnel in some passports offices nationwide.
Adepoju expressed concerns over such professional misconduct, saying it was not in tandem with the reforms recently instituted in the Service by the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
Adepoju insisted that personnel found wanting on the allegations would be dealt with in accordance with the Service rules of ethical conduct and behaviour, asserting that the Ministerial directive on timelines for issuance of Passports had come to stay.
She said in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the Service, Dr Dotun Aridegbe that the two weeks timeline for processing and issuance of passports had come stay and any personnel who breach the directive for personal gains would be sanctioned by the Service.
Adepoju stated that following the clearance of over 204,000 Passports backlogs, the Minister had directed that henceforth processing and issuance of Passports should be done within two weeks, and expressed concerns that it had come to the notice of the leadership of the Service allegations that some personnel deliberately extended the tenure for selfish gains.
She said the Service has on daily basis continue to monitor compliance with the directive of the Minister home and abroad, whilst some phones numbers have been given to the public to report any attempts of extortion from them by Service personnel.
The ACG however appealed to Nigerians to appreciate that applications for reissuance of lost Passports and change of data usually take longer times because of verification necessity, and cautioned that applicants in such category might put the Service in bad light for unfounded allegations.