The Oyo Passport Office is now fully autonomous and will no longer operate as an appendage of the Ibadan Passport Office, the Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Engineer Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, has said.
The Oyo Town Passport Office is an autonomous processing centre for international passports established to serve residents of Oyo Town and surrounding communities in Oyo State, eliminating the need to travel exclusively to Ibadan.
Oba Owoade described the establishment of a local passport office in a community as essential, noting that it decentralises critical government services, eliminates long-distance travel to state capitals, reduces overcrowding at regional centres, and stimulates grassroots economic and social development.
The monarch stated this 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 on Thursday to felicitate with the management on the autonomy granted to the office.
In a statement issued by the director of media and publicity to the Alaafin, Bode Durojaiye, Oba Owoade said with the new development, the “Oyo Passport Office” will now appear on international passports processed in Oyo.
“The Oyo Passport Office will bring biometric capture and documentation services closer to rural and semi-urban residents, saving travel time and transport expenses,” the Alaafin said.
“It will also alleviate massive workloads and long queues at central state or regional passport headquarters and increase local commercial activities as travellers from neighbouring towns visit the city for administrative processing, as well as create jobs directly through facility staffing and indirectly via local micro-businesses that support office visitors.”
Earlier, the chief passport officer for the Oyo Passport Office, Assistant Controller of Immigration Oladejo Taiwo David, appreciated the visit by the Alaafin’s delegation. He said the feat would not have been achieved without the efforts of His Imperial Majesty and the support of Oyo indigenes, notably Alhaji Daud Igi-Ogun.
Oladejo solicited the support of the Alaafin in creating awareness to encourage residents to patronise the Oyo Passport Office instead of travelling to Ibadan or Ilorin.
He promised that the Oyo Passport Office would serve the people better and ensure faster processing and collection of passports.
Members of the delegation included the director of administration to the Alaafin, Prince Adesola Sanda, and renowned Islamic cleric Alhaji Daud Igi-Ogun.
Until recently, the Oyo Passport Office operated under the Ibadan Passport Office.
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