Nigerian Embassy e-passport issuance in Toronto marred in controversy

Posted by admin Africa & World Politics, Headlines, NNP News Sunday, March 10th, 2013

By New Nigerian Politics

There are indications that the planned e-passport issuance by the Nigerian Embassy in Toronto beginning March 16 may have ran into murky waters after some Nigerians complained of fees charged by the Nigerian-Canadian Association (NCA) for non-members who seek to take advantage of the services. They wondered why the association should charge for a service offered free by the federal government of Nigeria to its citizens besides the nominal application fees usually paid by passport applicants.

But the NCA, the umbrella association for Nigerians in Canada, has said that the fees are charged to cover expenses in excess of $3,000 incurred by the association in providing a working space, security for officials of the embassy and putting in place logistics to facilitate the 3-day e-passport issuing exercise. It has advised Nigerians not disposed to paying the fees to travel to the Canadian capital, Ottawa, a five hours drive from Toronto, to have their e-passport processed.

In a statement made available to New Nigerian Politics earlier today, March 10 (2013), the former foreign minister and current ambassador to Canada, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, appeared to have disassociated the embassy from the planned NCA fee charge and has thus, elected to suspend the exercise until the issue is “ironed out” by the concerned parties. The statement reads in its entirety,

“While we (Nigeria High Commission Ottawa) welcome the support and solidarity of NCA or indeed any other bona fide Nigerian group in Canada to facilitate our duty to serve all Nigerians,let it be known for the avoidance of doubt that such services will be without any form of discrimination and will comply with extant rules and regulations of the Federal Government of Nigeria which do not include the Mission directly or indirectly being an agent for any association no matter the lofty objectives in the matter of collection of membership dues!If that is the only way the project of passport processing in Toronto can proceed on the date already advertised the matter may well be suspended until all these issues are ironed out!”

A Toronto based Nigerian who contacted New Nigerian Politics lauded the efforts of NCA in bringing such a crucial service to Toronto, the city with the largest number of Nigerians in Canada. He urged the association to work closely with the embassy to devise means of defraying the cost of such service without the burden falling solely on it for fullfiling it’s obligations to Nigerians.

Sources in Toronto have confirmed to New Nigerian Politics that the NCA has regularly charged fees for non-members for e-passport processing when the previous ambassador, Prof. Iyewese Hager, held sway. However, those fees were waived for minors and students under the age of 26. wp_posts