The Federal Government, on Thursday, defended the upward review of Nigerian passport fees to N100,000 and N200,000, saying it was necessary to sustain quality, curb corruption, and ensure timely delivery of travel documents.<\/p>\n
The Nigeria Immigration Service, in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, ACI AS Akinlabi, on Thursday, announced that from September 1, 2025, applications made within Nigeria will attract new fees of N100,000 for the 32-page, five-year validity passport and N200,000 for the 64-page, 10-year validity passport.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe review which only affect Passport Application fees made in Nigeria, now set a new fee thresholds for 32-page with five-year validity at N100,000 and 64-page with 10-year validity at N200,000,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n
The NIS, however, said Nigerians in the diaspora will continue to pay $150 for the 32-page, five-year passport and $230 for the 64-page, 10-year passport.<\/p>\n
It explained that the adjustment was aimed at maintaining the integrity of the document while making issuance processes more efficient.<\/p>\n
The increase comes barely a year after the Federal Government approved an earlier adjustment in August 2024, which raised the 32-page, five-year booklet from N35,000 to N50,000, and the 64-page, 10-year booklet from N70,000 to N100,000.<\/p>\n
At the time, the NIS said the hike was necessary to sustain the quality of the passport and improve service delivery.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, defended the new hike.<\/p>\n
Speaking in Abuja during the ministry\u2019s mid-tenure performance retreat, Tunji-Ojo said the hike would ensure timely delivery of passport and eliminate corruption,<\/p>\n
He said, \u201cOur target is very clear: within one week of enrolment, every Nigerian should have their passport in hand. Not just delivering quickly, but delivering quality passports that reflect our integrity as a nation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He noted that the new system was designed to eliminate long delays and extortion that once forced citizens to wait up to seven months or pay as much as N200,000 to fast-track processing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe system that we inherited that had six months backlog which we were able to clear in two and a half weeks. Nigerians will apply for passports and wait endlessly, or be asked to pay hundreds of thousands of naira.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy own daughter had that bad experience. Even when I was chairman of the House Committee on NDDC, my daughter wanted passport, it was a problem. I had to pay hundreds of thousands to be able to get a passport for my daughter, a 12-year-old girl. That era is over,\u201d Tunji-Ojo said.<\/p>\n
The minister disclosed that the centralised personalisation centre, the largest in Africa, would ensure faster processing and tighter security<\/p>\n
\u201cWith this facility, we can print five times more passports than we currently need. Once you enrol, it doesn\u2019t take us more than 24 hours to vet. Printing capacity is no longer our problem,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
As part of the reforms, Tunji-Ojo announced that Passport Control Officers will no longer have the power to approve or delay applications.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome PCOs had so much power that they could decide not to approve or not to print a passport until they were settled. That abuse of power ends now,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"