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30 June 2009
Abuja — The FCT Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board has requested for the provision of e-passport machine from the Nigerian Immigration Service for the issuance of the passport to intending pilgrims.
The director of the board Dr. Shu'aibu Yakubu who made the request when he received delegation from Nigeria Immigration Service in his office, said there is need for the machine at Gwagwalada centre for the FCT intending pilgrims to get the e-passport on time.
He said at present FCT pilgrims' e-passport experience delay for about ten days after application, unlike before where they got it within four working days.
On the alternative, according to Dr. Yakubu, the immigration service should allocate two days to attend to e-passport cases of only FCT intending pilgrims. He said the delay is caused because people from other states prefer to acquire passports from Abuja.
Other problems associated with the e-passport in FCT he said is the issue of "official passports" to its staff, saying previously board staffs usually identified with their official passports, and with the introduction of e-passport that could be difficult.
He however suggested attaching "stickers" that would identify FCT staffs, which will give them easy access to other places that will help the pilgrims.
The FCT MPWB also raised the issue veil, in which some women were asked to remove it before their picture could be snapped while processing the e-passport.
In his response, the immigration officer who led the delegation, Chief Superintendant Munnir Yari said, they were at the FCT MPWB to assess the success and problems of the issuance e-passport so far.
Munnir said, the request made would be forwarded, adding that on the issue of grantor states can stand for its intending pilgrims.
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