FG to restrict residence permit
The Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Mohammed Babandede said as from January 2018, there will be no residence permit renewal for foreigners without national identification number.
Babandede said this yesterday while addressing State House reporters after a meeting of database harmonization committee.
He also stated that anyone without identification number from the National Identification Management Commission (NIMC) would no longer be issued the Nigerian passport, explaining that this was aimed at easing business in Nigeria.
“There is a practical commitment to this; we’ve agreed that from 2018, 1st January, anybody who is going to apply for Nigerian Passport, whether renewal or fresh must first have a NIMC number, national identity number. We want to ease business for Nigeria. There is no need for you to go and have your bio metric captured by NIMC and then you come and capture again with the Nigeria Immigrations. Once you give us your NIMC number we will collect the bio metric from NIMC and produce your passport.
“I have also given directive that any foreigner, non Nigerian resident in Nigeria will not get his permit renewed. He or she will not get his renewed until he has a NIMC number. To achieve this, NIMC and passport numbers will be harmonized and we are committed to allow NIMC in immigration.
“All NIMC staff can work in our passport office, so when you come to get the passport you can also get the National identity card. The NIMC has also allowed immigration staff to work in their offices, so anybody who is coming to claim Nigerian citizenship they will help to identify that citizen. That is the cooperation that we have had so far,” he said.
Asked whether tax certificate would be a precondition for obtaining passport, he said: “We’re not talking of tax; we’re talking of e-government. We want to have one e-government. What government is saying is that when you want to collect any facility from any government agency, you don’t need to look for the document from any other government agency.
“We should be able to access it, we should be able to know whether you have paid your tax or not. If you are coming through the airport and you want to leave Nigeria, we should be able to know that this guy has not paid his tax and you should be able to pay your tax before you depart. We are looking at one e-government and it is possible.”