Mr Emmanuel Arogundade, Comptroller of NIS Enugu State Command, disclosed this while speaking with in Enugu on Wednesday.
Arogundade noted that the Command had also eliminated staff accosting members of the public to give undue attention or preference to them for any service in the Command.
“Today, we have totally eliminated touting and I have personally detailed some officers to ensure that personnel who do not have any business or working in the passport section do not go to that section at any time.
“I have stopped undue influence of staff on our passport issuance processes,’’ he revealed.
Arogundade noted that the Command had enough passport booklets.
“Passports issuance processes will not take more than 48 hours; while if any delays were encountered, explanations were usually given to the applicant within 72 hours,’’ he said.
The comptroller revealed that the NIS was also giving special attention to the elderly, pregnant women and minor in all the services it renders to members of the public.
Arogundade said that “these set of people are given preferential treatment in the services the NIS renders due to their peculiar conditions’’.
According to him, they are given the privilege to jump the queue and be attended to on time “to ease any stress the process of any of our services might have on them.
“This is one of the innovations introduced by the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr Muhammad Babandede.
“It is meant to give support to these sets of people with peculiar conditions and to reduce their waiting time to access any of our services within any of our offices or desks.
“Like the elderly, who are above 70 years, we ensure we give such senior citizens express service; these also include pregnant women and minors as well.
“It is good that the NIS was carrying this out in order to conform to international best practices and operating in a humane manner,’’ he said.
