More than 1000 Nigerians are believed to be stranded in Atlanta, United States (U.S.) because of expired travel documents for their inability to renew their international passports at the Nigeria Missions.
The shortage of passport booklets and difficulties in obtaining the National Identity Numbers (NIN) from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) also complicate the plights.
Investigations by a reporter from The Nation who spoke with parents of some stranded citizens showed that the situation is the same in all the Caribbean countries of Jamaica, Bahamas, Cuba, Belize, and Trinidad, and Tobago.
According to the parent, officials of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) conducted biometric capturing of the data of Nigerians resident in Belize, a Commonwealth country, since June this year, but the officials are yet to make the passports available to them.
“As we speak, the officials, who came from Jamaica no longer pick the calls of the Nigerian citizens let alone to reply to email messages. He expressed disappointment that his daughter has been stranded in Belize and could not travel to the US as planned,” the parent narrated.
Another parent expressed disgust at the situation and regretted that most affected by the scarcity of passports are students, workers, and professionals in different fields of endeavors.
The Nation gathered in Abuja that efforts are being made by the Federal Government and the Nigeria Immigration Service to address issues relating to Passport scarcity both at home and abroad.
