By Olujimi Adekanle
A public affairs commentator, Olujimi Adekanle, has questioned the responsibility of the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in the controversy surrounding alleged additional passport charges for Nigerians participating in a special intervention exercise in the United Kingdom.
Adekanle, in a statement titled “Passport Charges: Why Is BTO Carrying the Burden of a High Commission Controversy?”, argued that the controversy should be examined from the perspective of institutional responsibility.
According to him, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are separate government institutions with distinct mandates, noting that the Nigeria Immigration Service operates under the Ministry of Interior, while Nigerian diplomatic missions abroad operate within the diplomatic structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He said questions should therefore be directed at the appropriate institutions regarding any additional payments reportedly required from Nigerians in the UK.
Adekanle also drew attention to information published on the Nigeria High Commission’s website concerning the special passport intervention exercise, saying applicants were instructed to make certain payments payable to the High Commission.
He further noted that Tunji-Ojo had publicly clarified that neither the Ministry of Interior nor the Nigeria Immigration Service introduced any additional government-imposed passport charges beyond the approved passport fees.
The commentator consequently called for clarification on the authority behind any additional charges.
He asked: “Who authorised the additional charges? Who collected them? Under whose authority were they imposed? And which institution ultimately received the money?”
Adekanle said answering those questions would help establish responsibility and prevent what he described as “institutional scapegoating.”
He also urged Nigerians not to allow the controversy to overshadow reforms undertaken in Nigeria’s passport administration under the leadership of the Interior Minister.
According to him, improvements in passport processing, expansion of access and efforts to reduce delays and frustrations previously experienced by passport applicants should also be considered when assessing the minister’s tenure.
He noted that the special intervention exercise in the UK was initiated through the Nigeria Immigration Service following a directive from the Minister of Interior, with an intervention team deployed to four UK cities.
Adekanle, however, maintained that any shortcomings in the implementation of the exercise should be properly investigated and those responsible identified.
“If something went wrong in the implementation, then let us identify precisely where it went wrong, who was responsible and what should be corrected,” he said.
He stressed that accountability should be based on clearly established facts and institutional mandates.
“The Minister of Interior should answer for the institutions under his supervision. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigeria High Commission should equally answer for matters within their own jurisdiction,” Adekanle stated.
He called for transparency in determining the authority behind the disputed charges, the collection process and the destination of the funds.
“Let us follow the paper trail, identify the authority behind the charge and demand answers from the right institution,” he said.
