Alaafin urges Oyo residents to patronise autonomous passport office
By Adejayan Gbenga
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, has welcomed the autonomy granted to the Oyo Passport Office, describing the development as a boost to grassroots access to government services.
The monarch’s position was contained in a statement issued on Friday by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, following a congratulatory visit to the passport office.
According to the statement, the Alaafin conveyed the message through a delegation led by a member of the Oyo Traditional Council, Oyo Mesi, High Chief Asimiyu Atanda, to congratulate the management on the approval of the office’s autonomous status.
Previously, the Oyo Passport Office operated as an annex of the Ibadan Passport Office, but passports processed in Oyo will now bear the name of the Oyo Passport Office under the new arrangement.
Oba Owoade said the autonomy would bring biometric capture and documentation services closer to residents of Oyo and neighbouring communities, while reducing travel time, transportation costs and overcrowding at regional passport centres.
He added that the development could stimulate commercial activities in the ancient town as applicants from surrounding communities visit Oyo for passport processing, while also creating direct and indirect employment opportunities.
Meanwhile, the Assistant Controller of Immigration and Chief Passport Officer of the Oyo Passport Office, Oladejo Taiwo David, thanked the Alaafin for his support and appealed to him to encourage residents to patronise the facility instead of travelling to Ibadan or Ilorin.
David assured residents that the office would provide faster and more efficient passport processing services. Members of the Alaafin’s delegation included the Director of Administration, Prince Adesola Sanda, and Islamic scholar Alhaji Daud Igi Ogun.
