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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Economy & Trade

Oyo passport office autonomy hailed for boosting services, economy

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, praised the establishment of an autonomous passport office in Oyo, Nigeria.
  • He stated the office decentralizes services, reduces travel, and stimulates local economic development.
  • The new autonomy allows the Oyo Passport Office to operate independently and have its name appear on processed international passports.

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, has lauded the newly granted autonomy to the Oyo Passport Office, deeming it a crucial step in decentralizing government services and fostering local development. Through a delegation led by High Chief Asimiyu Atanda, the monarch celebrated the office's independence from the Ibadan Passport Office, a move that will now feature the Oyo office's name on international passports processed there.

The office would bring biometric capture and documentation services closer to rural or semi-urban residents, saving travel time and transport costs.

— Oba Akeem OwoadeDescribing the benefits of the newly autonomous Oyo Passport Office.

Oba Owoade emphasized that this autonomy brings essential biometric capture and documentation services closer to residents in rural and semi-urban areas. This proximity, he noted, will significantly save travel time and transportation costs. Furthermore, the monarch highlighted the office's role in alleviating the immense workloads and long queues typically experienced at central passport headquarters.

The establishment of the independent office is also expected to boost local commerce, as individuals traveling for administrative processing will increase commercial activities within the city. Additionally, it will create direct employment through staffing and indirect jobs via supporting micro-businesses catering to office visitors.

It would also alleviate massive workloads and long queues at central state or regional passport headquarters, increase local commercial activities as travellers from neighbouring towns visit the city for administrative processing, as well as create jobs directly through facility staffing and indirectly via local micro-businesses that support office visitors.

— Oba Akeem OwoadeFurther elaborating on the positive economic and social impacts of the autonomous passport office.

The Chief Passport Officer of the Oyo Passport Office, Assistant Controller of Immigration Oladejo David, expressed gratitude for the monarch's support and that of prominent indigenes. He urged the Alaafin to help raise awareness among residents, encouraging them to utilize the local office rather than traveling to Ibadan or Ilorin, promising improved and faster passport services.

The Oyo Passport Office would serve the people better as it would be faster to get their passports.

— Oladejo DavidChief Passport Officer of the Oyo Passport Office, promising improved service delivery.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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