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To guarantee the highest level of security in the state, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service, Osun State Command to deport all illegal immigrants.
Tuesday at the Osun Immigration Passport Front Office's commissioning ceremony in Ilesa, Governor Adeleke delivered the keynote address.
Adeleke added that their activities must be scrutinized after pointing out that the state is teeming with undocumented residents who are engaged in illegal mining.
The governor expressed gratitude to Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Interior, for moving the Passport Front Office to Ilesa, noting that it will lessen the anxiety people experience while applying for passports.
Adeleke praised the Minister, saying, "You have made Osun proud as a Minister as you have brought many developmental projects to Osun and I pray God help you more."
A passport is one of the most important papers that everyone should have, according to the interior minister Rauf Aregbesola, who earlier in his comments noted that it is useful for identification purposes in addition to travel abroad.
Aregbesola added that it is a requirement of Nigerian citizenship.
The former governor of Osun expressed delight that the backlog of passport applications had been reduced, adding that passports can now be handled in three weeks.
In support of his claim that the commission has intensified operations, he noted that 1 million passports were created in 2021 compared to 1.8 million the year before.
He also mentioned how many passport offices had been set up all over the country to reduce the hassle of getting IDs.
"Since the center is not an Express center, all legal procedures must be performed, and I caution people against falling for scams.
"Data will be gathered and sent to the immigration office for processing at this location, which is known as a passport front office. The visa is of high quality, making it durable and impossible to compromise or forge.
"I advise candidates to submit their forms as soon as possible and to take care not to skimp. Do not pay anyone, and only submit an online application, he recommended.
