Frustration as technical failure disrupts Nigerian passport exercise in UK

Nigerians in the United Kingdom have called on the Nigerian Immigration Service to completely overhaul passport processing operations following technical issues experienced at the Manchester intervention centre.

Videos of UK-based Nigerians left stranded and frustrated during biometric capturing at the Manchester venue surfaced early this week, attracting reactions at home and abroad, as no official attended to them in the early hours.

Diaspora Tales learnt that Nigerians from London, Manchester, Scotland and Wales left their daily activities to report as early as 9am for the identification and capturing of their passport biometrics but were left unattended.

Reacting to the incident through a statement made available to our correspondent, the General Secretary of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation United Kingdom, Dr Bims Oluwasona, said there was a “surge in passport applications”.

He called on the Federal Government to revamp the whole process, which needed better infrastructure and adequate staff to manage passport services.

He emphasised the importance of transitioning to a fully automated end-to-end passport application process, allowing Nigerians to renew their passports from their homes.

Oluwasona said, “This shift towards digital solutions will not only streamline operations but also enhance the overall experience for applicants.

“Moreover, it is critical to resolve issues with the current contactless biometric system to improve its efficiency. The establishment of a dedicated customer resolution centre is vital in providing timely support and resolving issues for citizens who encounter problems during their application process.”

Collaborative ideas

Oluwasona urged that partnerships between the FG, through the NIS, and diaspora communities would be required to prevent further challenges.

“To further enhance future initiatives, NIDO UK calls on the government to collaborate with diaspora organisations to ensure that any intervention programmes are well-organised and effectively meet the needs of our community,” he said.

He stressed that such collaborative ideas would ensure a seamless experience for Nigerians both at home and abroad, insisting that reports from Nigerians who attended the intervention centre on Monday confirmed a need for excellent professionalism in treating applicants with courtesy and respect.

“As we move forward, the commitment to improving passport services will not only benefit current applicants but also strengthen the bonds between the Nigerian government and its citizens living in the diaspora,” he added.

Ineffective communication

The founder of Nigerians in the United Kingdom on X, Benjamin Kuti, also known as Oluomo of Derby, registered his dissatisfaction over the ill-treatment Nigerians suffered at the various passport intervention centres, saying applicants needed “clear information”.

He described the special passport intervention exercise as an important initiative for the Nigerian community in the UK but decried the fact that the activities were enmeshed in delays, disorganisation, poor communication and additional charges.

Kuti said, “Our community deserves a passport service that is efficient, transparent, properly organised and respectful of the people it is designed to serve. One of the greatest challenges facing applicants is uncertainty.

“When people travel considerable distances, sometimes taking time away from work or spending money on transportation and accommodation, they need clear information about where they are expected to go, what documents they need, what fees are applicable and what service they should expect.

“Any change in venue, appointment arrangements, fees or procedures should be communicated promptly through official channels.”

Transparent fees

He also asserted that there must be transparency concerning fees, as reports showed that the NIS charged applicants between £70 and £150, depending on the services required.

“Every applicant should be able to understand exactly what they are paying for, which authority receives each payment and whether a charge is an official passport fee, an administrative fee or another legitimate cost.

“A clear published breakdown of all applicable charges would help prevent confusion, misinformation and mistrust. It is important to remember that the people attending these intervention centres are not merely numbers on a spreadsheet.

“They are parents, students, professionals, business owners, elderly Nigerians and families who contribute significantly to both Nigeria and the United Kingdom,” Kuti added.

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He emphasised that the applicants had waited for months for passport services required for urgent travel commitments and valid documentation for employment, immigration and family reasons.

He said the agencies should publish a transparent breakdown of all applicable fees, including any administrative charges, and improve crowd management and appointment systems at intervention centres.

Kuti called on the two agencies to ensure that elderly applicants, persons with disabilities and vulnerable members of the community receive appropriate assistance.

Borrowed Lebanese facility

Diaspora Tales gathered that the NIS allegedly booked a Lebanese lounge in London as a centre to address the emergency passport backlog, but applicants were dismissed by the owners over claims that the facility had not been paid for.

A Nigerian in the UK, Ajose Adeogun, told Diaspora Tales that the incident was condemnable, posing information leakage and privacy-breach risks to Nigerians.

“A proper intervention has to be well prepared for. So, that’s why you see that they ended up using a Lebanese lounge for that matter, which is a breach of confidentiality. Why would you be doing a Nigerian intervention in a Lebanese facility? So, what if there’s a data leak or something like that?” he queried.

Adeogun said he foresaw the issues that occurred and refused to attend, adding that there was no proper information on the website.

“When the information was going around on X, I already knew what was going to happen because if you see that kind of thing, the first thing you do is conduct a proper investigation to check if even the so-called embassy or immigration office has any information like that on their websites.

“The other thing was, why would you increase the charge for an intervention of a failed system from £20 to £70? So, when you see things like that, you already know that something is not right somewhere. When you’re doing an intervention, you don’t put any intervention information online or anywhere less than a month before,” he said.

Biometric issues, prolonged dates

Recounting his ordeal, Adeogun said he started the contactless process on his mobile device before receiving a notification directing him to complete it at the London office.

He said, “At the point of doing my biometrics, I did everything that the system required me to do, and the system accepted my biometrics.

“That was after countless attempts. After I successfully scanned my fingers, I was supposed to go to the next stage and an error popped up that one of my thumbs needed to be re-scanned. I went back, scanned it, and it picked it automatically.

“All of a sudden, another error popped up, saying that I should book an appointment and go to London. I was pissed as to why a system that I paid for to use contactlessly was telling me to go and book an appointment. It doesn’t make any sense. If there’s an error with the biometrics, all it should do is reset the step where the error occurred and take me back.”

No confidence

A social worker in the UK, Olaide Owokoniran, told Diaspora Tales that Nigerians had lost confidence in the embassy and other immigration agencies based on many disappointing passport-processing incidents.

Owokoniran urged passport offices in the UK and other countries to prioritise the welfare of Nigerians for the good image and best interest of the country.

“I am a social worker in the UK and I’ve been doing child protection and safeguarding for over a decade in the UK. I do come across a lot of Nigerians who could do with help from the Nigerian embassy, but there’s no confidence there,” she added.

NIS response

Meanwhile, the NIS, on its Facebook page, issued a statement describing the incident as “a brief technical downtime.”

The immigration agency said what happened on Monday morning in Manchester temporarily disrupted biometric capturing, adding that the exercise later proceeded smoothly.

It said 230 applicants with booked appointments were processed and had their biometrics captured, with 90 and 140 applicants attended to at the London and Manchester centres, respectively.

“The Service acknowledges and appreciates the patience and understanding demonstrated by applicants and reaffirms its commitment to ensuring a seamless and efficient passport application process,” it stated.