Begining January 2018, Nigerians applying for and renewal of international passport must be holders of the National Identification Number (NIN).
The comptroller of the Nigeria immigration service, Mohammed Babandede made the disclosure on Tuesday while addressing newsmen after a meeting of the database harmonisation committee in Abuja.
Babandede who said the development is part of efforts to have a centralised database for Nigerians and to also improve the business environment in the country also stated NIS hopes to capture 180 million persons in three years, up from the 20 million Nigerians that are currently in the NIN database.
He said, “We have agreed that from January 1, 2018, anybody who is going to apply for Nigerian passport, whether renewal or fresh, must first have a national identity number.”
“I have also given the directive that any foreigner resident in Nigeria will not get his permit renewed until he has a NIMC number. To achieve this, NIMC and passport numbers will be harmonised and we are committed to allow NIMC in immigration offices.
“There is no need for you to go and have your biometric captured by NIMC and then you come and capture again with the Nigeria immigration.
“Once you give us your NIMC number, we will collect the biometric from NIMC and produce your passport. That is the intention to do in all other agencies.”
He said NIMC staff would be working in passport offices so as to give people their national identity card whenever they come to collect their passport.
“We should be able to access it, we should be able to know whether you have paid your tax or not,” he said.
“If you are coming through the airport and you want to leave Nigeria, we should be able to know that this guy has not paid his tax and you should be able to pay your tax before you depart. We are looking at one e-government and it is possible.”