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The total number of passport applicants in Africa’s most populous nation (Nigeria) dropped massively from 3.86 million in 2016 to about 720,958 in 2017, Data from the National Bureau of Statistics on immigration statistics shows. Representing about 80.43 percent negative growth
127,882 of the 2017 figure are minor, 544,473 are adults while the remaining 48,603 are senior citizen.
A total of 152,163 passports were issued at the foreign missions in 2017 as against 172,824 issued in 2016, while the number of visa issuance at the foreign missions was put at 115,150.
This represents 11.95 percent negative growth. The number of lost and stolen passports re-issued in 2017 was put at 13,450.
The NIS generated N35,724,482,338.26 in 2017 as against N36,175,778,205.77 local revenue generated in 2016.
Some 11,221,608 air travellers went through Nigeria airports in 2017, according to figures released by the Consumer Protection Directorate of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
This is a 26 per cent decrease compared to the 15,232,597 passengers recorded between January and December 2016.
According to the document, the 30 airlines on the international routes operated a total of 13,503 flights and carried 3,575,542 passengers during the period under review.
A source at the passport office told BusinessDay that the number of investors applying for passports have reduced drastically considering the economic downturn which has affected the influx of investors into the country.
“Is this government doing so well in handling our social economic development as regards to the national interest? Are they still worthy?. The source said.
“If we are in the country and we are not sure of our economic stand, is it the investor coming in that should be very wary of the economic situation in Nigeria and mostly the security situation. With killings everyday cutting across the nation, how investors will be attracted to the country?” the source quarried.
He said: “It is obvious that any investor coming into the country should know the economic and the security situation in the country before coming in to invest. There must be an enabling environment for them.”
The eight domestic airlines operated a total of 48,319 flights and airlifted 7,646,600 passengers across the country.
Thus, airlines on the domestic routes accounted for 68 per cent of the passenger traffic, while the international route recorded 32 per cent.
BusinessDay’s checks show that the increase in the price of passports may have also caused a drop in the number of applicants.
A 32page passport which was sold for N23,000 in 2016 is currently going for as high as N35,000, while a 64page passport which sold for N33,000 in 2016 is going for as much as N50,000.
In 2017, many passport offices had limited passports to issue out to the public because the government owes its technical partners abroad huge debts running into billions of naira.
BusinessDay also gathered that the passport booklets are presently being produced by Iris Smart Technology Nigeria (ISTL) through its parent company, Iris Corporation, based in Malaysia.
A company in Netherlands is responsible for the biometrics and security details inserted into the passports, while South Africa provides the ink used for the printings done in the passports.
Last year, the NIS generated 38 billion as local revenue. Sources close to NIS said the government can realise more than this amount if it produces passports locally.
In 2017, the government had promised to explore local production as part of plans to save cost and ease the lingering scarcity of the document but has failed to execute same but has failed to produce passports locally.
IFEOMA OKEKE, MICHEAL ANI & BUNMI BAILEY
