The Organisation for the Advancement of Nigerians (OAN), in collaboration with its partner organisations, has expressed profound disappointment over the continued lack of response from the Ministry of Interior to their longstanding appeal for passport printers at the Nigerian Consulates in New York and Atlanta.
A statement signed by its President, Olutomi Aregbesola, and made available to Nigerian Tribune, criticised the Ministry’s silence despite a letter submitted a year ago highlighting the challenges faced by Nigerians in the United States due to inefficiencies in passport processing.
According to the statement, the absence of passport printers in New York and Atlanta has caused undue hardship for Nigerians in the diaspora, leaving many stranded without valid passports and has also prevented them from traveling for emergencies, work, or family commitments.
The group revealed that two passport printers are currently stationed in the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, D.C., one of which remains idle alleging that the refusal to deploy the idle printer to New York or Atlanta stemmed from unfounded concerns by the former Minister of Interior that such a move might create discontent among the missions.
“The severe implications of this neglect has led to growing dissatisfaction among Nigerians in the US thereby undermining confidence in Nigeria’s government’s ability to deliver essential services; national security risks as immigration officers travel to Washington DC monthly to print passport which exposes Nigeria’s national database to potential breaches; and as such inefficiencies tarnish Nigeria’s reputation and project governmental apathy toward its citizens.
“To address these issues, we call on the Ministry of Interior to redeploy the idle printer in Washington, D.C., to the New York Consulate and deploy an additional printer to Atlanta without further delay; conduct a transparent investigation to identify and hold accountable those responsible for the delay in resolving this issue; provide a clear timeline for addressing the passport production challenges at the New York and Atlanta Consulates.
“We trust that this matter will now be treated with the urgency it deserves. OAN reiterates its commitment to collaborating with the Ministry of Interior and other stakeholders to ensure sustainable solutions for Nigerians abroad,” the statement read.