400 Uncollected Nigerian Passports Gathering Dust at Consulate in New York — Official
By Boniface Ihiasota, USA
The Consul General of Nigeria in New York, Amb. Lot Egopija, has announced that there are 400 uncollected Nigerian passports at the Consulate in New York.
During the 8th Town Hall Meeting with the Nigerian Community in New York Jurisdiction, Egopija disclosed that the uncollected passports were produced within the last two years.
The Consulate said the names of the original owners of the documents have been posted on their website and community platform, including the WhatsApp group.
Egopija called on Nigerians in the Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), New Jersey Chapter, and other relevant groups to bring it to the notice of their members.
The Consul General urged applicants to come forward and claim their passports, and asked them to send self-addressed envelopes to the Consulate if they are unable to collect them in person.
Egopija advised those who would like to renew their passports to do so before they expire, saying “The Consulate does not have printing machines to produce passports in New York, but is exploring a model where they go to Washington DC once a month to produce passports, pending the time when the machine will be installed in New York.”
The new Enhanced e-passport has three categories, and Egopija listed them as the 32-page passport with a validity of five years, the 64-page passport with a validity of five years, and the 64-page passport with a validity of 10 years.
He urged applicants to indicate the passport category in their forms, noting that all the categories of passport will require National Identification Number (NIN).
The Consul General advised nationals to look up the updated information of NIN centres on the Consulate’s website, and said that the updated information on NIN had been sent to the WhatsApp platform for the community leaders to pass the information to their members.
He assured applicants that any applicant that meets the requirement would get their passport between six and eight weeks.
