The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to deploy new passport printers to two consulates in the United States of America.

The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Minister, Babatunde Alao, made this known in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

He said that the minister had acknowledged the receipt of a petition on appeal for passport printers in Atlanta and New York consulates, respectively.

According to Mr Alao, following the petition, the minister approved and directed the NIS to immediately deploy new printers to the passport offices in both cities.

He said, “This short-term solution aims to resolve the current challenge promptly.’’

Mr Tunji-Ojo, however, said there were plans for the implementation of a streamlined passport regime that would enable Nigerians to apply for passports with more ease.

“Part of this plan includes the activation of the Passport Personalisation Centre in Abuja, which is scheduled to start in the next few weeks. Also opening up more countries for the already-deployed contactless solution,” the minister said.

He added that there was already an end-to-end automation of the passport application process and the introduction of the contactless application process launched in Canada.

The minister assured Nigerians that President Bola Tinubu’s administration remained committed to ensuring that citizens experienced renewed hope laced with innovation and convenience while still enhancing national security.

 (NAN)