Elegbede Abiodun
The royal father said the presence of a fully autonomous passport office in Oyo would contribute to grassroots development.
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, has commended the autonomy granted to the Oyo Passport Office, describing the development as a major step towards decentralising critical government services and bringing passport services closer to residents.
Oba Owoade also urged residents of Oyo and neighbouring communities to patronise the facility rather than travelling to Ibadan or Ilorin to process their international passports.
The monarch made the remarks through a high-powered delegation led by a member of the Oyo Traditional Council (Oyo Mesi), High Chief Asimiyu Atanda, during a visit to the Oyo Passport Office to felicitate its management over its newly granted autonomy.
The visit was contained in a statement issued by the Director of Media and Publicity to Alaafin, Bode Durojaiye, on Friday.
Until recently, the Oyo Passport Office operated as an appendage of the Ibadan Passport Office. However, with the new status, passports processed at the facility will now bear Oyo Passport Office as the issuing location.
Alaafin said the development would decentralise passport services, eliminate unnecessary long-distance journeys to state or regional headquarters and reduce overcrowding at major passport centres.
He said the autonomous office would also bring biometric capture and documentation services closer to residents in rural and semi-urban communities, thereby reducing the time and cost associated with passport processing.
According to him, the development could also stimulate economic activities in Oyo town by attracting residents from neighbouring communities who require passport-related services.
“It would also alleviate massive workloads and long queues at central state or regional passport headquarters, increase local commercial activities as travelers from neighbouring towns visit the city for administrative processing, and also create jobs directly through facility staffing and indirectly through local micro-businesses that support office visitors,” the monarch said.
The royal father stressed that the presence of a fully autonomous passport office in Oyo would contribute to grassroots development while making government services more accessible to the people.
Earlier, the Chief Passport Officer of the Oyo Passport Office, Assistant Controller of Immigration Taiwo David Oladejo, expressed appreciation to Alaafin and his delegation for the visit.
Oladejo attributed the attainment of the autonomous status to the efforts of Oba Owoade and other indigenes of Oyo, particularly Alhaji Daud Igi-Ogun.
He appealed to the Alaafin to assist in creating awareness among residents about the availability of the facility, urging them to patronise the Oyo Passport Office instead of traveling to Ibadan or Ilorin.
The Chief Passport Officer assured residents that the autonomous office would provide faster and more efficient passport services.
He said the new status would enable the office to serve residents more effectively and reduce the burden associated with travelling to other cities for passport processing.
The delegation included the Director of Administration to the Alaafin, Prince Adesola Sanda, and Sheikh Alhaji Daud Igi-Ogun.
