National News
CG NIS SPEAKS ON SUSPENSION OF E-PASSPORT OPERATION AT THE NIGERIAN HIGH COMMISSION LONDON

CG NIS SPEAKS ON SUSPENSION OF E-PASSPORT OPERATION AT THE NIGERIAN HIGH COMMISSION LONDON
By: Michael Mike
The Comptroller General of Immigration Isah Jere Idris on Monday said his attention has been drawn to a Circular issued over the weekend by the Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom announcing the suspension of issuance of the enhanced ePassports to Nigerians in the United Kingdom.
Isah said the Circular had stated that the suspension is not unconnected with some noticed challenges being experienced by applicants while applying and processing their Passports at the Mission.
“This they claimed had resulted in some forms of frustrations leading to instances where some applicants have had to abuse and harass Mission Officials. The suspension they claimed is to enable the Mission put up certain measures to address the situation.” He said
According to the CG, while the Service would not want to be seen as opposing any move by the Mission to genuinely improve its services to our compatriots in the United Kingdom, it is imperative that we offer some clarifications on the subject matter.
“Suffice it be stated that as part of efforts to deepen the data harmonization policy of government and with a view to achieving the emergence of a seamless integrated national identity management system for the country, the Service unveiled the enhanced e-Passport facility in London on the 23rd November, 2021.
“Some major requirements of the enhanced e-Passport include digitized application and payment process, mandatory requirement that Passport applicants would have been registered by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) on the same identity with which they will use for procuring the enhanced e-Passport as well as the introduction of the appointment system.
“The digitized platform is to ensure that applicants get to apply and pay the exact fee ONLY for the Passport category of their choice online via passport.immigration.gov.ng while the appointment system is aimed at reducing the avoidable age-long overcrowding situations at the Mission. It would be recalled that before the introduction of the appointment system, the entire premises of the Nigeria House on Northumberland Avenue London has not only been very chaotic but nothing close to decent. The appointment system has since addressed this as Passport applicants only go to the Mission for Passport services on their appointment dates.
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“Therefore, the claim in the Circular that the unveiling of the enhanced e-Passport and the appointment system has brought some challenges is at best an imagination. This is because the records of Passport issuance activities at the Mission since 23rd November, 2021 till date, show a remarkable improvement.
“Below is a summarized table of operations at the Mission.
Month Enrolment Issuance
November 2021 58 50
December 2021 402 376
January 2022 1424 1266
February 2022 1809 1411
March 2022 2225 2122
TOTAL 5918 5225
“From the table above, a total of 5918 Passport applications have been received and processed out of which 5225 have been produced and the applicants issued their Passports within the period under review. The remaining ones are cases of incomplete documentation and data change issues.
“It is certainly not unexpected that innovations such as this often come with some associated concerns but that should not be sufficient reason (s) to announce an abrupt suspension of a system without considering the plights of applicants who desire Passport services and particularly those who have shelved other engagements to keep up their appointments with the Mission..
“Consequent upon the above and in order not to subject our compatriots who desire Passport services in the United Kingdom to unnecessary pains in procuring Passports, the acting Comptroller General has in the exercise of the powers conferred on him by Section 9 (1) of the Immigration Act, 2015 directed the Immigration Attaches at the Mission to continue with the issuance of the enhanced e-Passports in the Mission. “ The CG said.
Meanwhile, a team comprising representatives of relevant stakeholders on the Passport platform to be led by the Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration overseeing the Passport Directorate is due to arrive the UK within the week to address the challenges raised by the Mission.
CG NIS SPEAKS ON SUSPENSION OF E-PASSPORT OPERATION AT THE NIGERIAN HIGH COMMISSION LONDON
National News
JAJI LAUDS SANWO-OLU, GBAJABIAMILA

JAJI LAUDS SANWO-OLU, GBAJABIAMILA
· CALLS EX-SPEAKER BRIDGE BUILDER, REDEEMER OF THE MASSES
By: Our Reporter
Lagos politician, Oladipo Jaji, on Saturday described the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiamila as the champion of the people’s cause and bridge between all divides.
‘’Rt. Hon Femi Gbajabiamila is kind, upright, conscientious and deeply religious’’
He also described the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu as a resourceful and persistent organizer.
Jaji in a statement in Surulere commended the former Speaker of the House of Representatives for his brilliant dramatization of politics as the medium of empowerment, development, education and leadership.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain applauded Sanwo Olu for handling development issues in Lagos State with general skill and efficiency.
The gender conscious governor was also praised for sustaining peace, developing a new moral climate and executing several projects across the state.
Jaji praised Gbajabiamila for carrying the load of the president’s office with calm, deepening grassroots democracy, giving a greater sense of security to the people, empowering the youths and enriching their knowledge to enable them garner necessary experiences for higher challenges.
‘’Rt. Hon Femi Gbajabiamila unlocked new energies in the good people of Surulere. He also rekindled hope in other parts of Lagos State’’.
The dashing leader was applauded for standing up for the people, encouraging the women and stimulating the imagination of politicians in Lagos to new visions of things to be done.
Particularly, Jaji hailed Gbajabiamila for his deep sincerity, intellectual ability and dedication to public service.
The statement highlighted qualities of poise and endurance, integrity and honesty of purpose, loyalty and ardor.
It also emphasized Gbajabiamila’s largeness of vision and inexhaustible energy.
‘’I wish His Excellency, Governor Babatunde Sanwo-Olu and Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiamila robust health, much joy and unlimited strength’’ the statement added.
JAJI LAUDS SANWO-OLU, GBAJABIAMILA
National News
At Launch Of Ethiopia’s GLI, VP Shettima Urges Practical Action Against Climate Change

At Launch Of Ethiopia’s GLI, VP Shettima Urges Practical Action Against Climate Change
** Says Nigeria, Ethiopia have the largest stake in Africa’s future by keeping continent green
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on nations of the world to be decisive about combating climate change, saying it is a danger that must be arrested with practical actions.
According to him, while the global threat is not one that can be resolved in a conference room, it requires each country to respond to the peculiarities of the ecological burdens confronting them.
The Nigerian Vice President, who stated this on Friday during the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative (GLI), in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, said he was delighted to share in the joy of Ethiopia’s resolve to confront the threat posed by climate change “with clarity, courage, and conviction.”
The Ethiopian Green Legacy Programme, which is designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change, targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
Senator Shettima, who is in the East African country for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali, implored nations to enhance their climate plans by doubling their adaptation and mitigation efforts.
He said, “We have long accepted that climate change is not a problem to be solved in a conference room; it is a danger we must arrest with practical actions, with each nation rising to the occasion by responding to the peculiarities of the ecological burdens they face.
“Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative is one such response. It is an inspiring blueprint to reimagine the future. The promise of GLI is the dream of every nation. It is a lesson in vision, in purpose, and in audacity. For those of us who have followed this programme, the numbers are staggering, but the impact is even more compelling.
“To plant 20 billion seedlings within four years, to establish over 20,000 nurseries, and to create hundreds of thousands of green jobs is to show that the future is something we must plant, nurture, and build.”
VP Shettima noted that he was not in Ethiopia to only share in the country’s joy and exchange ideas but to also convey what he described as the deep and abiding solidarity of his boss, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the people of Nigeria.
Applauding those who made the Green Legacy Initiative a reality, he assured Ethiopia of Nigeria’s unflinching support, adding that both countries have the largest stake in Africa’s future.
“Ethiopia and Nigeria are the two most populous countries in Africa. This distinction is not just statistical; it is existential. It means we have the largest stake in Africa’s future. It means that more of our people are exposed to the peril of climate change, and it also means that we face the highest cost of inaction.
“This is why we are not mere spectators in this fight. We are partners. We are participants. And we are prepared to play our part to keep Africa green,” the Vice President pledged, just as he said it is the promise Nigeria and other nations have been making at the Conferences of the Parties (COP) every year.
“It is the pledge we renewed at the last COP in Azerbaijan. And today, we gather not only to stand by this promise but to celebrate the path Ethiopia has illuminated for the world,” he added.
Senator Shettima thanked the government and people of Ethiopia for the warmth and generosity extended to him and other members of the Nigerian delegation.
He said they felt at home, “not just because of the hospitality shown to them, but because the launch of the Green Legacy Programme resonates with the aspirations “to leave behind a planet fit for the dreams of generations to come.
In his address at the event, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called on African countries to make the Green Legacy a culture, adding that Ethiopia was proud of Nigeria and its bold move to embrace the green initiative.
The Prime Minister called for partnership across African countries, stating that it was time to place less emphasis on foreign aid and begin to focus more on indigenous and home-grown domestic ideas and visions.
“This year’s Green Legacy is to rise by planting, and it is in consonance with our plan to shock the world with our Green Legacy vision. We never received any aid when we set out to achieve our 20 billion tree planting initiative.
“We thank Nigeria for supporting and accepting this initiative. With its population and growing economy, we are sure that the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as exemplified by the esteemed presence of Vice President Kashim Shettima, will go a long way in raising the awareness and collaborative effort needed amongst African countries,” the Prime Minister said.
He further expressed optimism that with Ethiopia’s hosting of the forthcoming United Nations summit on Climate Change, the stage is set for all hands to be on deck to achieve one of Ethiopia’s biggest green revolution plans.
Earlier in the day, Vice President Shettima was guided through Ethiopia’s Unity Park, Science Museum, and the Adwa Victory Memorial Museum, which showcase Ethiopia’s historic and transformative trajectory.
At Launch Of Ethiopia’s GLI, VP Shettima Urges Practical Action Against Climate Change
National News
VP Shettima Arrives For Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme Launch

VP Shettima Arrives For Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme Launch
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived at the venue for the official launch of Ethiopia’s flagship Green Legacy Programme in Addis Ababa.
The project is part of Nigeria’s commitment to regional and continental collaboration on climate action and aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which prioritizes environmental sustainability, food security, and green economic growth.
VP Shettima is in the company of the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed.
The Vice President, who is on an official state visit to Ethiopia, will participate in the launch ceremony of the environmental initiative aimed at combating deforestation and mitigating climate change effects.
The Green Legacy Programme targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period to enhance biodiversity and address environmental challenges across Ethiopia.
This initiative aligns with Nigeria’s existing endeavours in afforestation and reforestation, such as the Great Green Wall project, which focuses on restoring damaged environments, combating desertification, and fostering climate resilience throughout the Sahel region.
VP Shettima Arrives For Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme Launch
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