In a surprising revelation, Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, expressed his displeasure with the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) for their practice of forcing women, particularly married women, to travel to Abuja in order to change their passport data. Tunji-Ojo criticized this procedure as a “stupid practice” and inhumane treatment towards women.
During a recent dinner with members of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu ABAT Media Centre and social media influencers in Abuja, Tunji-Ojo emphasized that nowhere in the world are women subjected to such inconveniences due to marriage. He questioned whether immigration personnel in Abuja possess superior abilities compared to those stationed in various passport offices across the country.
“It is absurd that a woman has to travel all the way from places like Kaura Namoda or Enugu to Abuja just to change her name after getting married. I cannot comprehend why changing just your name requires a trip to Abuja. I have asked the immigration people, do they have more than one head compared to their colleagues in the respective states?” Tunji-Ojo exclaimed.
The Minister further stated that the issue of passports is of little concern to him. He emphasized that his primary focus is ensuring secure borders for the country. He revealed that, starting from March, new passport reforms would be implemented, allowing Nigerians to undergo contactless biometrics enrollment from the comfort of their own homes.
“With the new reforms, there will be no need to travel to Abuja to change your data. Everything will be accessible online,” Tunji-Ojo concluded.
As Nigerians eagerly await these upcoming passport reforms, there is hope that the NIS will reconsider their processes and strive for greater convenience for all citizens, particularly married women, in their endeavor to change passport data.
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