The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, says passport front offices are scheduled to open in some major cities across the United Kingdom (UK), including Manchester, Birmingham, and Cardiff (Wales), in three months.
Speaking on the Tuesday edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today, the minister addressed the concerns of Nigerians in the diaspora over difficulties renewing their passports at foreign missions.
“I think there are only two places where we have this challenge now, realistically. I think in the UK, precisely, London and in the US — precisely, in New York. And that has to do with the concentration of Nigerians,” Tunji-Ojo admitted.
Zeroing in on the UK, where several viral cases have been recorded, he argued the only solution was to open passport front offices in key cities by February 2024.
“There is no quick fix. But we have ensured Nigerians that by February next year, we would have opened our front offices such that we’ll have front offices in Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff in Wales, and Scotland,” the minister said.
“So, once we have this, definitely, it will reduce the stress of Nigerians, it will reduce the waiting period, and of course, it will bring efficiency into the whole passport procurement system.”
Tunji-Ojo explained that the problem existed “because we have only one passport office in the entire United Kingdom”.
