FG Defends Increasing Passport Fees Twice In One Year
The Federal Government, on Thursday, defended the upward review of Nigerian passport fees to N100,000 and N200,000.
The FG insisted that the upward review was necessary to sustain quality, curb corruption, and ensure timely delivery of travel documents.
OSUN DEFENDER reports that the Nigeria Immigration Service, in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, ACI AS Akinlabi, earlier 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.
“The 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,” the statement read.
Defending the decision, the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, while speaking in Abuja during the ministry’s mid-tenure performance retreat, said the hike would ensure timely delivery of passports and eliminate corruption.
He said, “Our 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,” he said.
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.
The minister disclosed that the centralised personalisation centre, the largest in Africa, would ensure faster processing and tighter 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. Printing capacity is no longer our problem,” he explained.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
