He acknowledged challenges in London and New York due to the concentration of Nigerians.

“I think there are only two places where we have this challenge now, realistically. I think in the UK, precisely, London and in the US — precisely, in New York. And that has to do with the concentration of Nigerians,” Tunji-Ojo admitted.

Tunji-Ojo announced plans to open passport front offices in key UK cities, including Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, and Scotland by February 2024, aiming to reduce stress and waiting times for passport procurement.

“There is no quick fix. But we have ensured Nigerians that by February next year, we would have opened our front offices such that we’ll have front offices in Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff in Wales, and Scotland,” the minister said.

“So, once we have this, definitely, it will reduce the stress of Nigerians, it will reduce the waiting period, and of course, it will bring efficiency into the whole passport procurement system.”

He emphasized the need to improve efficiency and pointed out the current limitation of having only one passport office in the entire UK.