Applicants reportedly wait for hours as complaints emerge over poor organisation, staffing and security during the exercise aimed at clearing passport backlogs.
A special passport intervention exercise organised by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Manchester, United Kingdom, has reportedly been marred by long delays and confusion, leaving Nigerians who arrived for scheduled appointments frustrated.
The exercise, which began on September 7 and is aimed at helping Nigerians in the UK obtain new passports, renew existing ones and resolve pending applications, was expected to ease the backlog of passport cases.
However, applicants who turned up at the Manchester centre complained that the process got off to a difficult start, with some saying they waited for several hours without receiving the service they had travelled to access.
Some applicants reportedly arrived as early as 5am, while others said they had reached the venue around 9am but were still waiting by 11:30am with little or no visible progress.
By around 2pm, one account claimed that only about 12 people had been attended to, despite the large number of applicants who had gathered at the centre.
The situation was particularly frustrating for Nigerians who had travelled long distances, taken time off work and made other arrangements based on their scheduled appointments.
Some elderly applicants were also reportedly among those waiting, with accounts indicating that some had travelled from places such as Aberdeen to access the service.
The complaints reportedly went beyond delays.
There were also allegations of inadequate staffing and security at the venue, while reports emerged of a dispute involving the owner of the facility where the exercise was taking place.
According to reports from people at the scene, the venue owner allegedly claimed that payment had not been made and raised concerns about the lack of adequate staff and security. UK police were reportedly called to the location as the situation became tense.
The reports have raised questions about the level of preparation that went into the intervention, particularly because the exercise was specifically designed to deal with a backlog of passport applications.
The NIS had earlier announced that its intervention team would operate in Manchester and London from September 7 to 19 before moving to Aberdeen and Cardiff from September 21 to 26.
The Nigeria High Commission in the UK had also published details of the intervention, including the venues, appointment requirements and documents applicants were expected to bring.
The reported problems in Manchester have therefore prompted renewed calls for better coordination, clearer communication and improved crowd management during passport intervention exercises.
A Nigerian community advocate identified as the Oluomo of Derby described the reported experience as unacceptable, particularly for Nigerians who had spent money travelling to the venue and had already paid for passport services.
He called for better planning and an efficient system that respects the time and dignity of Nigerians living abroad.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has acknowledged the inconvenience experienced by Nigerians during the UK passport intervention exercise.
Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo reportedly said consultations were ongoing to address the problems, while also denying reports that the government had introduced additional administrative charges beyond the official passport fees.
The NIS has also been working to address passport delays affecting Nigerians in the UK. The Service recently asked Nigerians who completed contactless passport applications but were yet to receive their passports to submit their details through a resolution form for follow-up.
The Manchester exercise is expected to continue as part of the wider intervention programme.
For Nigerians who travelled to access the service, however, the early experience has raised concerns about whether the exercise will achieve its intended purpose of making passport services faster, easier and more accessible.
The incident has also renewed calls for government agencies to ensure that special interventions are properly planned before citizens are invited to attend, particularly where large numbers of people are expected.
For many Nigerians in the diaspora, obtaining or renewing a Nigerian passport is not simply a routine administrative process. It can involve travel, time away from work, transportation costs and other expenses.
Applicants are therefore urging the authorities to resolve the reported operational challenges quickly and ensure that the remaining days of the intervention exercise are better organised.
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