751 Nigerian passports delivered in Qatar within two weeks

The Nigerian Embassy in Doha, Qatar, has delivered 751 newly produced passports to Nigerian applicants following a passport intervention exercise held from August 11 to 21.

The development, which the embassy described as a milestone in service delivery, saw the distribution of the passports begin on September 18, about two weeks after the completion of the applicants’ biometric capture.

Of the 751 applicants attended to during the exercise, 441 applied for five-year passports, while 310 applied for 10-year passports.

Nigerian Ambassador to Qatar, Mahmood Yakubu, told The Peninsula that the swift turnaround reflected the embassy’s commitment to improving services for Nigerians in the country.

“This is a significant milestone for our Embassy and, most importantly, for Nigerians living in Qatar. The fact that passports are now being completed and returned within about two weeks of capture demonstrates our commitment to improving service delivery and responding to the needs of our community,” Yakubu said.

He said the embassy recognised the importance of passports to Nigerians for international travel, employment, residency and other official requirements.

“We will continue to work to ensure that Nigerians receive the services they need in a timely and transparent manner,” he added.

Passport intervention exercises are organised by the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, to address backlogs involving fresh applications, renewals and other pending passport cases.

The NIS has also said more than 5,000 applicants have enrolled in an ongoing passport intervention exercise in the United Kingdom.