Nigerians as from 2018 will need national ID number to renew or get a passport - Nigeria Immigration Service
- Nigerians would soon be made to present their National Identification Number (NIN) before they can obtain or renew passports
- Mohammed Babandede, the comptroller general of the Nigeria Immigration Service, said this is part of efforts to have a centralised database for Nigerians
As from January 1, 2018, the federal government has announced that no Nigerian will obtain or renew international passports without having the National Identification Number (NIN).
Legit.ng gathered that Mohammed Babandede, the comptroller general of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), while addressing state house correspondents on Tuesday, August 1, said the development is part of efforts to have a centralised database for Nigerians and to also improve the business environment in the country.
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Babandede also said NIS would collaborate with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to capture 180 million persons in three years, up from the 20 million Nigerians that have so far been captured in the NIN database.
He added that foreigners would not be able to renew their permits except they obtain an identification number.
The comptroller general said NIMC staff would be working in passport offices so as to give people their national identity card whenever they come to collect their passport, adding that the initiative would also help government to easily check those who pay their tax.
According to an earlier report by Legit.ng, the executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Tunde Fowler, announced that Nigerians who either want a new passport or renew an old one must show evidence of being a taxpayer.
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His words: “We did take a position and I believe it would be implemented in the very near future that before you get any services from the immigration department: renewal of passports etc, you’d have to show that you are a tax payer."
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Source: Legit.ng
