The Consul General of Nigeria in New York, Lot Egopija, has urged diasporan Nigerians to pick up their passport at the consulate.

He disclosed that no fewer than 1,328 passports produced at the mission had yet to be collected.

Mr Egopija stated that the passports were among the backlogs cleared but yet to be collected by the applicants.

The Nigerian envoy added that the clearing of the passport backlogs was in line with the directive of the Nigeria Immigration Service.

He said the backlogs were due to the shutdown of the consulate from March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Nigerian envoy added that the consulate had also gone for passport intervention in 2019, which production had not completed before the pandemic.

“You recalled that last year (2020), at the heart of COVID, the Consulate had gone for passport intervention in the past, in 2019 and all that.

“They have not produced these passports due to one reason or the other, but that has been done now. We need to tell those whose biometrics have been done to come and collect their passports,” he disclosed.

Mr Egopija further said the consulate was doing everything possible to ensure the passports get to their owners, encouraging that those living far away from New York not to come to the mission to collect their passports.

“All they (applicants outside New York area) need to do is to send self-addressed envelopes that will tally with the addresses they gave to us when they did those passports in that wise,” stated the consul general.

He added, “We will get to them, but for few that have come in here, we ascertain if they are collecting their passports so that it will not get into wrong hands.

“For those who may not have access to the website, we have also done a WhatsApp group and will also be forwarding it to all the associations that are registered with the mission.

“These associations will in turn inform their members who are affected to come forward for their passports. We are trying to ensure that every Nigerian who has applied and has his or her biometrics captured gets his or her passport.”