NIS to flush out touts from Ikoyi Passport Office by 2020

The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) will no longer tolerate the activities of touts within the Ikoyi Passport office and its vicinity Lagos.

The Passport Control Officer (PCO), Mr. Manir Yari said this in Lagos on Monday, while appreciating the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) for the award given to him on Dec.7 in Abuja during the service’s end of the year dinner and awards night.

Yari was given the award of the service in exemplary leadership that entailed the ability to simplify the passport issuance process.

Yari, appreciating the NIS, said the office aimed to eliminate totally the activities of the touts in the year 2020.

“The touts usually double cross innocent citizens on their way to the centre promising to get them international passports.

“Such promise, most times, never worked thereby ending up in duping the citizens,” he said.

The PCO, therefore, pleaded with Nigerians, who were desirous of obtaining international passports to visit the centre directly.

He further said the Passport Office would strengthen its existing structures to improve service delivery in 2020.

He said, “the particular area we plan to intensify effort on is curbing the activities of quacks who hijack applicants.

“The office had taken some measures already but the measures would be intensified by the year 2020.

Yari further promised to exceed 2019 delivery by issuing more passports to applicants in 2020.

“Since the issuance of e-passports started in Ikoyi more than 50,000 passports have been issued to applicants for passports with both five years and 10 years validity,’’ he stated.