The Senate has instructed its Committee on Interior to investigate the reasons behind the delays in the issuance and renewal of international passports by the Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS).

The legislative chamber also directed the committee to investigate the award of contracts for the production of international passports and submit its report within two weeks. The motion, called ‘Delay on issuance, renewal of international passport by NIS’ at the plenary, was sponsored by Senator Ekwunife Lilian Uche (Anambra Central).

She claimed that the delays were causing immense hardship for Nigerians who needed to travel outside or return to the country. She emphasized that the passport was an official identification document issued to Nigerians to exercise their right to personal liberty and freedom of movement.

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Despite the six-week timeline given by the Federal Government, many Nigerians are still struggling with passport processing. Ekwunife reported that it takes between five to eight weeks to get an appointment for biometric data capturing, while applicants are compelled to wait for four months for passports to be ready after the biometric exercise.

Similarly, the House of Representatives has instructed the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to halt the planned disbursement of $700 million to citizens and companies.

The lawmakers directed the agency to provide an audited statement of account revealing all the money that has accrued to the Cabotage Vessel Finance Fund within seven days. The lawmakers also instructed the Committee on Local Content to engage an external auditor to review all contracts entered into in the cabotage regime and report it to the House within seven days.

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The committee is also to ascertain all monies that have accrued to the Fund since its establishment in 2003 and report to the House within 14 days. The legislators expressed concern that since the Fund’s establishment, there has been no reliable data on the total amount that has accrued, leading to uncertainty about its actual value.

As a result, the lawmakers requested that the Minister of State for Transport and the NIMASA Director General brief the committee on the state of the Fund and how it has been utilized over the past two decades.