Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has sparked widespread reactions online after a video showed him arriving unannounced at the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) passport office in Gwagwalada, Abuja, where he confronted officials over prolonged delays in passport processing.
The minister carried out a surprise inspection of the facility, including the VIP and children’s section, engaging directly with both staff and applicants who had been waiting for hours despite the office’s scheduled opening time.
Visibly displeased, Tunji-Ojo questioned why only a few applicants had been attended to long after operations were meant to begin, especially in a section designed for expedited services.
He also sternly warned applicants against paying any money beyond official passport fees, stressing that Nigerians have already paid in full for the service.
“I don’t want to hear that you are collecting money for diesel or paper. Nigerians have paid for their passports completely. Serve them diligently,” the minister said.
Tunji-Ojo expressed concern that by 9:30 a.m., only a handful of applicants had been processed, even though several people were seen waiting downstairs.
“So it means that by 9:30am, I expect to see at least one or two applicants here. I can see some people waiting downstairs, and our responsibility is to be efficient,” he said.
He further questioned officials on the slow pace of enrolment and biometric capturing, noting that each enrolment should take only a few minutes.
“How long does it take to do an enrolment? Three minutes. So three times seven, that is twenty-one minutes,” he said.
In response, officials explained that although the office was scheduled to open by 8 a.m., activities began later after the generator was powered around 9 a.m.
“We are supposed to open by eight,” one official admitted.
The minister criticised the practice of enrolling all applicants before commencing biometric capturing, insisting that both processes should run simultaneously to reduce waiting time.
“It doesn’t make sense. People are there waiting. Some of them still need to go to work or have other things to do. So why must you wait until you enrol everybody before you do capturing?” he asked.
Describing the situation as unacceptable, Tunji-Ojo said such inefficiency defeats the purpose of public service.
“You are wasting people’s precious time. Time is money. Time is expensive. It is unacceptable,” he said.
He also faulted officials for underutilising the VIP and Children section, stating that applicants crowding downstairs could have been redirected there.
“It will not cost you anything if you use this place for them,” he said, adding pointedly: “Nigeria has no VIP. When you wear this uniform, you wear a uniform of sacrifice. You are here to work for the people.”
The video of the minister’s visit has since gone viral, with many Nigerians praising the hands-on approach and calling for sustained reforms within passport offices nationwide.
