Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has said that all Nigerians are expected to have international passports as a means of identification, both within and outside the country.

The Comptroller of Immigration, Kwara Command, Aminu Shamsuddin, stated this at a news briefing in Ilorin on Wednesday.

Mr Shamsuddin said that the Comptroller-General of NIS, Caroline Adepoju, had done a lot in ensuring that all Nigerians had international passports.

One such effort, he said, was the approval of a passport front office in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara to enhance more access to the service.

The comptroller said that the establishment of the front-line office was to encourage more people to apply for a passport and reduce the crowd in Ilorin office.

According to him, a passport is a means of identification and can easily be used to know everything about the individual holder.

“Through a registered phone number, a person’s identity and information can easily be revealed, both within Nigeria and overseas, once such a person obtains an international passport.

“Passport is the first thing that will be demanded in any country around the world, to know a person’s information and crime record,” he said.

The comptroller stated that lots of people applied for passports on a daily basis, adding that NIS was working hard to ease their stress by upgrading its services.

“We need people to accept the changes that are ongoing to maintain our standard, as our passport is acceptable all over the world.

“Passport issuance is dynamic. We change from time to time in necessary areas that will make it easy for applicants during payment.

“Application can now be downloaded within the comfort of your home and there is liberty to choose where you want for capturing and collection of passport,” he said.

According to him, there is no more third-party involvement during registration. This is to avoid issues like wrong name spelling and applicant information.

The comptroller solicited more support from the media, even as he said that NIS would continue to sensitise the public on the need for passport application, renewal and other services being rendered.

(NAN)