BY PETER EGWUATU & VICTORIA NJOKU

Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) Plc and Access Bank Plc, both quoted banks on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE have jointly built a waiting lounge at the Ikoyi passport office of the Nigeria Immigration Service , NIS as part of their Social Corporate Responsibility, CSR.

Meanwhile, the NIS has been ordered to deliver 24 hours passport procurement target by next year 2014 in order to key into the transformation agenda of the President Goodluck Jonathan to reforming the economy.

In his remark at the commissioning of the lounge in Lagos, Group Managing Director/CEO, GTBank Plc, Mr. Segun Agbaje said “We are extremely delighted to partner with NIS in providing quality service to Nigerians. It is a partnership that will continue; together the Skye will be our limit.  This partnership is a small thing, it is just the beginning.”

Similarly, the Group Deputy Managing Director, Access Bank Plc, Mr. Obinna Nwosu, said, “It is a great pleasure for the bank to be part of this project. We are grateful to be part of this service of giving back to the society from all we receive from the public. You are going to see more of this in years to come.”

The Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, who was the special guest at the commissioning of the lounge, said “Public Private Partnership (PPP) is the best way of providing facilities that will serve the entire citizens. It will help everybody to protect the facilities that are both sponsored by the public and private sectors.”

Continuing, he said “ Everybody  must participate in building the institution so that together we can boldly say it is our own and no longer government property”.

So I commend GTBank and Access Bank for partnering with Immigrations Service to put this project together and I can assure you that together we can do great things, not just with Nigeria Immigration Service but with the entire Nigeria.”

He called on other banks and organisation in other sectors to emulate both banks in discharging their corporate responsibilities. He further charged the NIS not to extort the masses that come for passport and warned them from engaging the services of tout.

According to him “Nigeria Immigration Service has a target of twenty four hours within which they should issue passports and travel documents and I expect that as we leave 2013 behind and match into 2014, that this target must be realized. Like I said, it is a task that must be done because that is the basis of which we are going to access their performance and promote them.

It is not just about writing examinations and getting interviewed for promotion now. It means, Madam Dupe and other officials in the passports office must work to realize this target.”

In his words “The NIS will not fail in dealing with officers found conniving with tout or extorting money from Nigerians that want to secure passport.  We want you to serve Nigerians very well because your salaries are being paid by the tax payer money. Also government has realized that it cannot provide the necessary infrastructure alone. This is because it is more convenient to do it together than to do it alone.”