The Federal Government of Nigeria has successfully addressed the passport production crisis in the United States, leading to the resumption of passport services at all three missions, according to a public notice displayed at the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington DC.
Individuals previously scheduled for biometrics as part of their passport application process are now required to visit the mission on Monday. The statement reads, “This is to inform all passport applicants scheduled for biometric capture from Monday, November 13, to Thursday, 16 have been rescheduled. It has been rescheduled to hold from Monday 20 to Wednesday, 22nd, 2023.”
The notice also explained that the change in schedule was due to internet outrage experienced at the embassy, and the affected applicants are encouraged to visit the embassy on any of the specified days.
A source within the embassy in New York confirmed on Sunday that the passport production system issue was successfully resolved over the weekend. The disruption was related to the internet and not a server malfunction. The collaboration between experts in Nigeria and local ICT experts at the embassy led to the successful resolution of the problem.
In the United States, there are three missions representing Nigeria: the Consulates-General of Nigeria in New York and Atlanta and the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington DC. The Washington DC mission serves as the sole passport production center in the U.S., with consulates handling biometrics at their respective locations and forwarding the data to Washington DC for passport production.
Earlier, there had been an appeal from the Organisation for the Advancement of Nigerians and its partner organizations in New York for the Federal Government to provide passport production machines for the missions in Atlanta and New York, citing the high number of applicants in these regions.
The New York jurisdiction encompasses a total of 20 states, making it a significant center for passport applications in the United States. The successful resolution of the passport production crisis is expected to ease the inconvenience faced by Nigerian passport applicants in the U.S.
