Nigeria joins global passport directory, resolves authentication issues for travelers
via Punch Nigeria9 min read
The Nigeria Immigration Service has announced that all of Nigeria鈥檚 Country Signing Certificate Authorities have been successfully imported into the International Civil Aviation Organisation鈥檚 Public Key Directory. This development resolves passport authentication issues that previously affected Nigerian travelers at foreign borders. With this integration, Nigerian passports can now be seamlessly verified by border control systems in all member states of the ICAO Public Key Directory, eliminating technical challenges that led to delays and additional screening for some passport holders. The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap, completed the process at the ICAO headquarters in Montreal, Canada. This move establishes the necessary chain of trust for Nigerian electronic passports within the global verification system, ensuring that the chip embedded in electronic passports can be authenticated by other countries' border systems. The Ministry of Interior, led by Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, coordinated the exercise, which reflects the Federal Government鈥檚 commitment to strengthening secure digital identity management and international border security cooperation.
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Must ReadSenate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has elaborated on measures to prevent the abuse of proposed state police services by political actors. He stated that funding for state police should be a first-line charge in the ongoing amendment to the 1999 Constitution. Bamidele, who is also Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, warned that without financial independence, state police could be exploited by businesses, cabals, criminals, and other organizations. He acknowledged public concerns about the state police bill, many of which stem from experiences during the First Republic when regional authorities established police forces under the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions. To address these concerns, Bamidele explained that the National Assembly is developing a multi-tiered safeguard focusing on personnel discipline, institutional independence, and fiscal autonomy. He emphasized the National Assembly's commitment to enshrining state police funding as a first-line charge in the country's law, similar to the judiciary. He noted that the 1999 Constitution provides for judiciary funding, allowing the Chief Justice of Nigeria to operate without needing presidential approval for every procurement, unlike ministers. This mechanism would ensure that the Commissioner of Police and State Police Service Commission have a guaranteed source of funds provided for in the 1999 Constitution, thus insulating the police chief from the influence of a state governor.
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The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has reiterated its commitment to strengthening collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission NIMC following the enactment of the National Identity Management Commission Act, 2026. This development is seen as a significant step towards enhancing electoral integrity through secure digital identity verification. INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, stated this during a courtesy visit by the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, and her management team to the INEC headquarters in Abuja. Amupitan emphasized that closer cooperation between the two agencies would improve identity verification processes, reduce electoral fraud, and support the conduct of free, fair, and transparent elections. Coker-Odusote highlighted that the new NIMC Act, signed into law by President Bola Tinubu on June 26, 2026, transforms NIMC into the nation's foundational digital identity authority, making it the home of Nigeria鈥檚 Digital Public Infrastructure and Root Public Key Infrastructure. She added that these reforms would strengthen Nigeria鈥檚 digital economy, reduce fraud, simplify access to services, and improve the integrity of the electoral process through more robust identity verification mechanisms. NIMC expressed its readiness to support INEC in delivering credible elections, asserting that identity is fundamental to effective governance and electoral processes.