Applicants in their hundreds have urged the Minister of Interior, Hon Bunmi Tunji Ojo to as a matter of urgency, intervane in the activities of the men of the Nigerian Immigration service,Ondo State command ,along Igbatoro road, in Akure over the unnecessary and additional charges place on applicants who come for either renewal or fresh passport application.

In a petition sighted by Germane Reporters written by some of the applicants in Akure, the Ondo State Capital on Thursday, emphasized that, the officers of the Nigerian Immigration service have unnecessarily inflated the approved levy.

According to the petition,
“NIS Akure over the months ,instances of unfair treatment and manipulation of internal processes have been noticed”

“Certain individuals are using their positions for personal gain to benefit themselves and their allies ” it read

However, the petition appreciated the efforts of the Minister in making life better for the citizens in pursuance of the passport but some elements in the agency are dragging back the efforts of the Minister and that of the President.

EXPLOITATIVE ACTIONS CONDUCTED BY THE OFFICERS OF NIGERIA
IMMIGRATION SERVICE (NIS), AKURE OFFICE, ONDO STATE.
ATTENTION.
HONORABLE MINISTER OF INTERIOR,
MR. OLUBUNMI TUNJI – OJO,
Old Secretariat Area 1,
Garki, FCT
Abuja, Nigeria.
I write to bring to your attention some concerns and actions that have
become notorious within your agency.
Towing down a short memory lane, it becomes imperative to look at the
height to which the Nigeria Immigration Service has affected the lives of
every citizen of the country, especially considering the growth process of
how the Service has transitioned to what it is today.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), a governmental organization is
responsible for border security and migration management in Nigeria. It was
established by the Act of Parliament in 1963. The first set of Immigration
officers were former Nigeria Police Force (NPF) Officers, but it later became
a department under the control and supervision of the Federal Ministry of
Internal Affairs (FMIA) as a Civil Service outfit.
Subsequently, the Service has come a long way in its march towards
reformation and restructuring to be better positioned for the implementation
of modern migration management. In 1988, the Service was saddled with
the responsibility for the issuance of all Nigerian travel documents which
included the Nigeria Passports.
It is also essential to state your positive efforts since your resumption in the
office on the 21st of August 2023.

A few of which to mention include; Clearing the over 200,000 pending
passport applications with the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) with a twoweek deadline in fulfillment of your promise to remove all bottlenecks in the
acquisition of Nigerian passports and other immigration documents –
https://interior.gov.ng/press-release/tunji-ojo-orders-immigration-serviceto-remove-bottlenecks-hampering-seamless-issuance-of-passports/
Further, on your commitment Sir, you were also quoted to have said “Please
help us tell applicants whose passports are lying in various passport offices
across the country to go and collect their passports. We are working round
the clock to make applicants happy.” – https://immigration.gov.ng/passportbacklog-is-now-a-thing of-the-past-nis/
These actions have been applauded with utmost respect for the work that
your agency does and the impact it has on the country.
However, a blind eye cannot be turned to the subtle corrupt acts that are
being carried out by some of your subordinates across the state, particularly
in your state of origin, Nigeria Immigration Service, Akure office, Ondo state.
Over the past few months, Instances of unfair treatment, and manipulation
of internal processes within the agency have been observed. It appears that
certain individuals are using their positions for personal gain and are
bypassing established protocols to benefit themselves and their allies.
I believe that these actions are not only damaging to the credibility and
integrity of the agency but also undermine the trust and confidence that the
public places in its operations. As the head of the agency, I understand that
you may not be aware of these subtle corrupt acts, but it is imperative that
they are brought to your attention so that appropriate measures can be taken
to address them.
One such is the act of exploitation carried out at the Akure office, Ondo
State, is the instance of Passport applicants having indicated interest to
renew their passport having expired been overcharged contrary to the
stipulated online fees with the extra exorbitant fees not receipted for, this
was the shock I faced, when I went to renew my Passport, Officers of the
Service stipulated the price as follows:

Renewal of 10-year Passport: from the online fee of #70,000:00k to

110,000:00k and

• Renewal of 5-year Passport: from the online fee of #35,000:00k to

55,000:00k and other residents have lamented their fate to have paid

75,000:00k.

It took hours of demanding to see their superiors before I narrowly escaped
from being their victim, I am not oblivious that the process can be done
online, however many applicants would rather seek to approach a physical
office, just like I did, because of the high level of trust and efficient service
presumed on behalf of the Service
I respectfully, urge therefore to use your good office to conduct a thorough
investigation into these heinous conducts and take decisive action to hold
those responsible accountable for their actions, so that the highest ethical
standards, transparency and fairness that your ministry is known for will not
be marred. It is also trite for you to do so as charity begins at home
Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I look forward to seeing
positive changes within your agen