By Joseph Erunke
The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Northern Caucus, has dismissed claims that the Federal Government’s ongoing passport centralisation reform is designed to sideline or disenfranchise Northern Nigeria, describing such allegations as false, misleading and politically motivated.
The students’ body said the passport centralisation programme being implemented by the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, is a nationwide operational reform aimed at improving security, efficiency and service delivery, rather than a regional agenda.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, the caucus urged Nigerians, particularly residents of the North-East and North-West, to ignore what it described as “deliberate falsehood, propaganda and misinformation” surrounding the exercise.
The National Vice President (External Affairs) of NANS, Comrade Sadiq Zango, who read a prepared text of the conference,said the group was compelled to address growing public concerns following enquiries from passport applicants and stakeholders across the affected northern states.
