The federal government says plans are ongoing to ensure the processing time for Nigerian passports does not exceed a week after submission of application.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, gave the assurance during the ministry’s mid-tenure performance retreat on Thursday in Abuja.
Mr Tunji-Ojo said the planned shortened time frame was part of the federal government’s reforms in the passport issuance process.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) had announced a 100 per cent increment in the passport fee, effective September 1, 2025.
The NIS said that while the 32-page passport for five years will go for N100,000, the 64-page booklet for 10 years will be obtained at N200,000.
“Our target is very clear; within one week of enrolment, every Nigerian should have their passport in hand,” said the minister. “Not just delivering quickly, but delivering quality passports that reflect our integrity as a nation.”
He said the new system was designed to eliminate long delays and extortion that once forced citizens to wait six to seven months and pay excessively for fast-track processing.
Mr Tunji-Ojo explained that the centralised personalisation centre will ensure faster processing and stricter security.
“With this facility, we can print five times more passports than we currently need; once you enrol, it doesn’t take us more than 24 hours to vet, as printing capacity is no longer our problem,” he said.
The minister further said the inefficient system inherited by his administration, with a six-month backlog of passport applications, was cleared in two and a half weeks.
“Nigerians will apply for passports and wait endlessly, or be asked to pay hundreds of thousands of Naira,” he said.
The minister said that passport control officers (PCOs) would no longer have the powers to approve or delay passport applications.
“This reform is aimed at curbing racketeering, eliminating delays and restoring integrity to Nigeria’s travel documents.
“We realised that the best way to cut corruption is to remove human contact to the barest minimum.
“Passport approval will no longer rest in the hands of officers, as my responsibility is not for them to like me, but to deliver efficiency. Let Nigerians be happy,” he said.
Mr Tunji-Ojo further said the reforms would also eradicate the illegal possession of Nigerian passports by foreigners.
“In one incident, a Ugandan woman carrying a Nigerian passport was arrested at Lagos airport after paying $1,000 to procure it.
“That cannot continue as our passport must remain a true symbol of Nigerian identity,” he declared.
(NAN)
