Nigeria govt launches international passport with 10-year validity

The Nigerian government has launched a red diplomatic international passport with a ten-year validity.

Nigeria president Muhammadu Buhari and vice president Yemi Osinbajo were issued the 10-year Diplomatic passport by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) during the emergency Federal Executive Council (FEC) that was held on Tuesday, January 15.

Buhari had ordered that the validity of Nigerian passports issued in the country should be extended from five to 10 years in July 2018.

“He (Buhari) has approved 10-year validity for passports which is great news. When the report comes, passports will be valid for 10 years which is great news especially for adults from the age of 18 and above,” Comptroller general of NIS, Mohammed Babandede, said in July 2018.

Babandede, in October 2018, announced that the commencement for the issuance of Nigerian Passport with 10 years validity would begin in December 2018, but it did not until January 2019.

Nigeria’s interior minister, Abdulrahman Dambazau, who was assisted by the comptroller general of NIS, Mohammed Babandede presented the passport to Buhari and Osinbajo after their biometrics were captured and processed.

Babandede said asides the ten-year validity, the new passport has other 25 special features, differentiating it from the existing passports.

He said the passport has polycarbonate technology that eliminates damages. He also said it is ‘weather friendly’.

Babandee stated that the passport saves Nigerians in the diaspora the time needed to frequently visit Nigerian embassies in search of new passports.