Tunji Ojo blasts NIS officials… I don’t want to hear you are collecting money for diesel, paper
Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior for Nigeria, made an unexpected visit to the Nigerian Immigration Service passport office located in Gwagwalada, Abuja, on Tuesday, the 20th of January 2026. During this visit, he expressed his disapproval of the delays in passport processing and cautioned applicants against making any additional payments.
Tunji-Ojo conducted an inspection of the operations within the VIP and Children’s section of the passport office, engaging with both officials and applicants. He inquired about the reasons for the prolonged waiting times, especially since the office was anticipated to commence service at a specific time.
Throughout his visit, the minister gathered feedback from applicants and warned them against paying any money outside of the official fees. He emphasized that Nigerians had “paid for their passports completely” and should not incur charges for extra items. “I don’t want to hear that you are collecting money for diesel or paper. Nigerians have paid for their passports completely. Serve them diligently,” he stated.
He expressed his dissatisfaction that only a limited number of applicants had been served hours after the office’s opening time, despite this section being intended for expedited service. “So it means that by 9:30am, I expect to see at least one or two applicants here. Because I can see some people waiting downstairs, and our responsibility is to be efficient,” he remarked.
The minister also questioned the officials regarding the speed of enrolment and biometric capturing, pointing out that each applicant should be processed within a matter of minutes. “How long does it take to do an enrolment? Three minutes. So three times seven, that is twenty-one minutes,” he noted.
Immigration officers admitted that although the office was meant to open at 8am, operations did not commence until later, as the generator was turned on around 9am. “We are supposed to open by eight,” one official explained, noting that power was activated only after the applicants had already arrived.
