Online passport application: The data security question

Passport application and its prompt collection in Nigeria for some reasons have always been a game of money, connection and luck until recently when the Federal Government came up with an automated system. ADETOLA BADEMOSI chronicles passport applicants’ frustrations amidst data security concerns.

Towards the end of 2022, specifically in September, I paid N45,000 for a 32-page international passport for a fast-track service as against the N25,000 to N26,000 cost because I needed it urgently,” said Ibrahim Yahaya, a final year student of University of Abuja.

“I made the payment in September after which I was given November 2022 as the date for biometrics capturing. According to the immigration official, the capture date could not be influenced as the available dates for capture were already listed on the passport portal.

“By November 26, I did the capturing and the official promised that the passport would be ready in six weeks or less. Since what I needed it for was in February 2023, I didn’t bother.

“Unfortunately, I only got my passport in May 2023. It was really painful because I missed the opportunity I needed it for.”

In a separate scenario, Mrs Foluke Michael applied for her passport in Ibadan and paid N40,000 in July 2023. She, however, did not get her passport until September 2023 when the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo ordered the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to clear the over 200,000 backlogs of passports that were outstanding for production.

“I am a security personnel and to speed-up the process, I had to apply via my office’s letterhead. That did not help at all because it was still delayed,” she said.

These delays are nothing compared to the nightmare faced by those who have got discrepancies on their visa applications or amendments.

“What I had on my old passport was Oluwasegun Bello and my national identification number (NIN) carried Olusegun. So, when I wanted to renew my passport, the system rejected the application. I just experienced a delay without reason. After three months of back and forth, the official who was helping now told me it was a name error.

“I had to go and do an affidavit and all. It was really frustrating,” said Olusegun.

This reporter spoke with three other people who shared similar experiences.

Delay in the issuance of international passports by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) is a menace that has gone on for years, not also downplaying the frustrations, extortions and stress applicants pass through in getting their travel document.

Passport issuance delays

Before now, processing of international passports took forever, especially for those who pass through the laid down process.

Passport processing officials would also take advantage of applicants who do not want delays.

For instance, before the recent price review, the approved fees for passports were: for 32-page five-year standard passport  N25,000 or $130 (for overseas applicants), a 64-page five-year standard passport for N35,000 or $150 (for overseas applicants), and a 64-page 10-year standard passport at N70,000 or $230 (for overseas applicants).

However, for a simple 32-page five-year standard passport, an immigration official charges up to N45,000 for assisted and fast service.

Despite opting for a fast-track service, most times, applicants would usually encounter unexplained delays.

According to the NIS, discrepancies in identification such as NIN is one of the reasons for delays in the processing and issuance of some international passports to applicants.

It explained that passports that are delayed for more than eight weeks are those for which applicants provided wrong information, thus their applications are rejected by the system.

“Most delays are usually caused by the NIN validation problems and what we want to do now will allow individual applicants to first of all verify and validate their NIN and only upload validated NIN before they can pay for passports,” says Idris Isah Jere the former acting Comptroller General of Immigration.

Also, a top immigration official who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune on condition of anonymity said sometimes, there is scarcity of booklets noting that in recent years, the number of people traveling abroad has increased the volume of application for the travel document.

“See, you know that the number of people who want to ‘japa’ is high and they are all applying for passports. So, it somehow puts a strain on things,” she added.

Bothered about the menace, in May 2023, the Nigerian Senate directed its Committee on Interior to urgently investigate the circumstances leading to the delay of issuance and renewal of the passports following an adoption of a motion on the “Delay on issuance, renewal of Nigeria International Passport” sponsored by the senator representing Anambra Central, Uche Ekwunife.

Ekwunife in her lead debate said the delay in the renewal of Nigeria’s passport by the NIS was resulting in untold hardships for Nigerians who need to travel out or return to the country.

She said, “The passport is an official identity document issued to Nigerians for the purpose of traveling out and into the country in exercise of their rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement.

“Many Nigerians are still facing challenges with passport processing, despite the six-week timeline of processing passports given by the Federal Government barely a year ago.”

Meanwhile, various measures were also deployed by previous governments to address the situation but to no avail. For instance, the NIS in 2022, shut down all its payment portals from May 18 till June 1 to enforce the clearance of passport backlogs.

But this never provided a respite to the situation.

New international passport automation system, a recourse?

In 2023, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo announced plans to automate international passport applications which as of November, he said was 99 percent completed.

True to his words, in January 2024, the country got its online application portal launched by the minister.

The online passport application portal was developed for applicants from Nigerians at home and in the diaspora.

According to the minister, with the automation process, Nigerians can now  upload their passport photographs and other supporting documents from the comfort of their homes while they are only required to visit immigration centres for fingerprint biometrics required for their passport.

“This will ensure that all they need to do at an immigration centre, is just fingerprint biometrics.

“Everything regarding pre-biometrics will be done in the comfort of your homes, including uploading passport photographs and supporting documents,” he said.

With this, Nigerian applicants who want 32-page passports with five-year validity would pay N35,000, while those who want 64-page passports with a 10-year validity would pay N70,000.

However, since the launch of the automated system, there have been several complaints ranging from slow network, payment to document uploads like getting the ICAO picture standard.

Many complained that it took time before the system was able to approve the passport size photo upload.

“When I tried doing mine, the photograph really frustrated me. It said ICAO standard. So, the system kept rejecting the pictures until one scaled through, and that was the following day,” said Joshua Omobo, a passport applicant.

An immigration official who simply gave his name as Sunday told Nigerian Tribune during a chat that there have been complaints received from applicants on the new automated system.

First, he said many still find it difficult to understand the ICAO picture standard while others are faced with payment issues.

He said that although such glitches cannot be ruled out from a newly introduced system, there is room for improvement.

“It is slow, but you know it is a new system and you cannot rule out such complaints. Some people complain about the passport photo capturing. It is either the light is not enough or the posture or it doesn’t meet the standard. So, it is from one complaint to another.

“Again, in terms of payment. You know when you pay, it alerts you of successful payment confirmation and you pick your biometrics appointment date. But when you get to the immigration office and the payment has not dropped, you will not be allowed to be captured and will be asked to come back. So sometimes it is slow and stressful,” he said.

In addition to this, cybersecurity threat concerns were raised. In a bid to also absolve itself of the delay allegations, the NIS also resorted to publishing details of uncollected passports via its website.

A check showed that details, such as names and passport numbers of over 430,000 owners of uncollected passports were published.

This raises questions on data security.

Meanwhile, Akindayo Akindolani, founder and CEO of McAnderson Institute of Technology, said implementing innovative systems like the automatic passport application processes could pose cybersecurity threats, especially in a country like Nigeria.

He particularly expressed worry over the NIS’ new development of publishing names and Passport numbers of some Nigerians who were yet to collect their passports on its website.

According to him, this could pose data privacy and security threats.

However, to make the new passport system seamless, the IT expert stressed the need for government to prioritise robust cybersecurity measures, conduct regular security audits, and ensure strict adherence to global standards like GDPR.

“As a country, we need to prioritise training and awareness programmes for both government officials and citizens. These are crucial to prevent inadvertent data exposure.

“The government should also invest in encryption technologies, secure data storage, and implement strict access controls to safeguard sensitive information. We also need robust collaboration with cybersecurity experts and organisations that can provide valuable insights and strategies for enhancing the overall security posture.

“In the context of GDPR, it’s essential for us as a country to align our data protection practices with these regulations. Ensuring transparency, obtaining explicit consent, and implementing measures to protect individuals’ rights over their data will be critical,” said Akindolani.

Although the Federal Government has introduced the automated passport application system to address the encumbrances around passport application, it is hoped that this will in the long run deliver on its objectives.

This report is produced under the DPI Africa Journalism Fellowship Programme of the Media Foundation for West Africa and Co-Develop