News
Immigration clears 200,000 passport backlogs, new applications to be processed in two weeks henceforth
The Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, has cleared over 200,000 backlogs of passports few weeks after the Minister of Interior pledged to end delay in processing applications by Nigerians.
The Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, had early September, said all pending applications for passport would be cleared and a new deadline be drawn for such applications.
Speaking at a media parley in Abuja on Wednesday, Mr Tunji-ojo apologised to Nigerians that clearance of the backlog had spilt into three weeks as opposed to the two-week deadline he gave.
The minister, however, praised officers and men of the NIS for working day and night including weekends and public holidays to meet up with his directive.
He said while the procurement of visas is a privilege, acquiring international passports is a right.
He also expressed the commitment of President Bola Tinubu not to increase the cost of passport application despite the foreign exchange volatility.
He said: “We inherited 204,332 enrolments without passports being issued. People that had applied and captured, that was the figure and we gave a marching order because the president was also on our necks to bring solutions and succour to Nigerians.
“We went into strategic meetings with the NIS and with the support of our service providers, we were able to increase printing machines to four in passport offices where we had two. Our service providers gave us the machines at no cost.
“The NIS personnel were doing three shifts, working 24/7 to make sure that we cleared the backlogs and to ensure that never again are we going to have backlogs of passport production.
“We want to ensure that nobody waits for more than two weeks to get their passports.”
The minister said as of 1 October, all the 204,332 backlogs had been cleared.
“From the records produced by NIS, the number of passports already collected is 91,981. Outstanding but available is 112,351,” he said.
He, therefore, called on Nigerians who applied for the passports to visit immigration offices to collect their passports.
The minister added that in the next couple of months, passport applicants would be able to upload their passport photographs via the immigration portal, rather than going to passport offices for such a capture.
News
Breaking: Court of Appeal rules in favour of Turaki -led PDP candidate for Osun governorship election
The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, on Thursday, ruled that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Gubernatorial Candidate in Osun State was validly nominated by the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee.
The court also ordered INEC to list the PDP logo on the ballot ahead of Saturday’s gubernatorial election.
The Court held that access code is neither a creation of the Constitution nor the Electoral Act; rather, a creation of INEC’s guidelines and cannot, in any way, override the provisions of the Constitution.
Section 288 of the Constitution does not specify the method for nominating candidates; it only states that the names of candidates should be forwarded to the Commission.
The court further held that the defendant (INEC) should take steps to include the name of the appellant on the ballot paper.
Additionally, the court ruled that the primary election conducted by the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP was a valid primary election in law.
The three-man panel of justices—Justice Mahmud, Justice Jaro, and Justice Ankawere, was unanimous in its judgment.
News
Breaking: NHRC sets up situation room to monitor and document hate speech, intimidation, threat to life ahead 2027
The national Human Rights Commission, NHRC, has set up a situation room to monitor and document all incidences of hate speech, intimidation and threat to life by politicians and other actors ahead of the 2027 general election.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has expressed concerns over rising incidences of hate speech, intimidation and outright threat to life by highly placed individuals, especially politicians and religious leaders.
The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Chef Tony Ojukwu, SAN, revealed this on Thursday in Abuja at a press conference.
He said the situation room would enable the Commission harvest data, analysis and document persons, agencies and others involved in the negative statements in order to ensure they are properly tracked and brought to book by relevant agencies.
Ojukwu also took journalists on a tour of the newly set up situation room.
Details later…..
News
Breaking: NHRC expresses concern over rising incidences of hate speech, threat to life ahead 2027 elections
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has expressed concerns over rising incidences of hate speech, intimidation and outright threat to life by highly placed individuals, especially politicians and religious leaders.
At a press conference in Abuja Thursday, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Chef Tony Ojukwu, SAN, recalled statements credited to Senator Francis Fadahunsi and Sheikh Yahya Jingir and described the das dangerous with capacity to set the nation ablaze.
He called on politicians, religious and traditional rulers, among other stakeholders to call their supporters and faithful to orders.
He urged government to act before rhetorics turn to violence, saying the forthcoming election in Osun State should serve as example of Nigeria’s capacity to conduct political contest in compliance with international best practices.
Details later…..
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