The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has said the federal government will launch the contactless passport application service in four countries in January 2025.
Tunji-Ojo disclosed this while speaking on The Morning Show, an Arise Television programme on Wednesday.
The minister listed the countries as the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, and France, following its successful launch in Canada.
He also said the experimental phase of the project would be launched in four Nigerian states -Lagos, Abuja, Rivers, and Kano.
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He added that a phased rollout allows the government to refine the system, ensuring its reliability before expanding access to all.
“I come from a tech management consulting background and in my experience, you don’t launch a project of that magnitude all over at the same time,” Tunji-Ojo said.
“There will be what we call the system shock. And once there’s a system shock, it erodes the benefit that you aim to derive.
“So, we decided that before we open it up to the entire world, let’s start with Canada. And as I speak to you, we’re already producing passports based on the contactless system in Canada.
“By January, we’re taking it to four countries of UK, the United States, Italy, and France. And of course, in Nigeria, we’re opening it up in Lagos, Abuja, Rivers, and Kano.”
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