Nigerians in diaspora want new passport policy suspended

Two months to the takeoff of a new Passport policy that mandates possession of National Identity Card, Nigerians in diaspora have appealed for its suspension.

Speaking with Daily Trust in Malaysia, Nigerians said that Federal Government should make provision for Nigerians living abroad to obtain the national identity card at embassies of Nigeria abroad before takeoff of the policy.

On September 30, 2017, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr Mohammed Babandede announced the policy.

“We have agreed that from January 1, 2018, anybody who is going to apply for Nigerian Passport, whether renewal or fresh application, must first have a national identity number”, he said.

But Ibraheem Alani, Aliyu Usman, Yussuf Adamu, among others in Malaysia noted that implementing the policy would add to the burden of Nigerians abroad. They called for extension of implementation of the policy and provision of registration centres at Nigerian embassies abroad.

“I registered for the card in Kano since last year, when I was in Nigeria but I’m yet to get the card. I only have a registration slip to show for it. I tried several times when I was in Nigeria this July to claim my card. But I was told that it’s not ready. So implementing the policy will be like punishing Nigerians unduly”, Adamu said.

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) disclosed that only 23.3 million out of over 100million Nigerians that are over 16 years of age have enrolled for the cards since its launch in August 2014.