The Federal Government says it has saved nearly N1 billion annually by scrapping manual document archiving and introducing a fully automated passport and visa system.
Interior Minister, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) headquarters in Abuja.
“We cancelled the physical presentation and manual archiving that was costing us almost a billion a year,” he said. “Now, the integrity of our foundational data is better enhanced.”
He noted that the e-passport automation drive, which began formally in January 2024, has reduced corruption, cut processing time, and increased transparency in the immigration system.
“Years ago, people waited months and paid touts N200,000 or even N500,000 for a N100,000 booklet,” he said. “If you want to kill corruption, kill scarcity.”
According to the minister, passport issuance is now 99 per cent digital, with only biometric capture and booklet collection requiring in-person appointments, compressed into 20-minute slots.
Also, a new electronic visa (e-visa) regime launched earlier this year has processed over 14,000 visa applications within six weeks, a feat he described as a “global pass mark”.
Dr Tunji-Ojo also announced the imminent rollout of the electronic Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card (e-CERPAC) and the digitised Temporary Work Permit (TWP), stating that both would go live within a week.
He emphasised that the reforms were designed to boost national security and attract investment.
“To me, when somebody needs a visa to Nigeria, and all he is looking for is who knows the minister or who knows the CG Immigration, that is not how to grow a country,” he said. “You must make it easy without compromising security.”
Comptroller General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, said the new system includes features like online applications, e-CERPAC integration, landing and exit cards, and biometric e-Gates at airports.
She added, “The e-Visa system allows for seamless online applications, eliminating the need for physical visits to immigration offices.”
The new reforms, she said, will ensure smoother processing for both Nigerians and foreigners, while also improving national security.
