FG orders withdrawal of diplomatic passports from unauthorised persons

The Federal Government has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to withdraw diplomatic passports from unqualified persons holding them.

The FG directives was contained in the statement issued Director of Press, Yusuf Isiaka Alhaji, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior.

He said: “The attention of the Federal government that some Nigerians who are not entitled to hold diplomatic and official passports are in possession of these documents.

“In view of the Federal government determination to protect and promote Nigeria’s integrity in the comity of nations, the Permanent Secretary,

Federal Ministry of Interior has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to retrieve all valid diplomatic and official passports with immediate effect from all persons who are not entitled to hold such documents”.

Sources at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, however, revealed that many politicians not entitled to the diplomatic passport were in possession of it today.

According to the source: “Diplomatic passports are official documents normally given to professional diplomats and ambassadors by their governments, to facilitate their work when they are on posting to foreign countries. Its issuance is governed by rules under the 1815 Congress of Vienna that formalised the exchange of diplomatic agents among states.

“These rules are very restrictive and limit the issuance of diplomatic passports only to professional diplomats who are the personal representatives of their heads of state. Those to whom such passports are given are assumed to be persons of undoubted character and integrity.”

Also it was discovered that it was the late President Umar Yar’Adua in an executive memo directed the NIS to grant members of the National Assembly diplomatic passports. The passports were, however, to be automatically withdrawn after the tenure of the holders in the National Assembly.