The Senate has mandated its Committee on Interior to investigate the cause of the delay in issuance and renewal of passports by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
The Red Chamber also directed the committee to probe the contract for printing of passports by the Service.
The Upper Legislative Chamber issued these directives on Tuesday following a motion by Senator Uche Ekwunife who pointed out that Nigerians are facing hardships in getting their passports.
Ekwunife noted that despite the six weeks timeline given by the NIS to process passports, Nigerians now spend between three and six months to get their passports.
The lawmaker said that it has become extremely difficult for passports to be processed in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja, prompting Nigerians who reside in those states to travel to other states in the country to obtain their passports.