Nigerians in the United States have bemoaned the lacklustre and inefficient manner in which the federal government handles the issuance of passports in Atlanta and New York, asserting that it exposed the country’s database to security breaches with devastating consequences.
Members of the Organisation for the Advancement of Nigerians wrote Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo on January 15, expressing their disappointment over his inaction to avail passport printers at the Atlanta and New York consulates, consequently overworking the Washington D.C consulate and causing a huge backlog in other U.S. states, which have to wait for officials to make a round trip to D.C. for their travel documents every month.
OAN noted that the trips were dangerous as they posed a risk to national security by exposing the country’s database to potential cyberattacks.
They lamented that Mr Tunji-Ojo’s refusal to take action —since their first letter in February 2024— has “left many Nigerians stranded and unable to travel for emergencies, work or family commitments.”
“The lack of passport printers in New York and Atlanta continues to cause unnecessary delays, creating a bottleneck that is entirely avoidable with the right infrastructure,” reads the letter signed by Olutomi Aregbesola sent on Wednesday.
“Sending immigration officers to Washington, DC. Monthly to print passports exposes Nigeria’s national database to potential security breaches,” Mr Aregbesola stated. “This is a risk that can be mitigated by establishing passport printers in New York and Atlanta.”
OAN asked Mr Tunji-Ojo to “act swiftly and rectify this situation” while providing periodic updates to Nigerians in the U.S. on actions taken.
The interior minister did not immediately respond to a request for comments on the accusations.