As the new fees for the procurement of the Nigerian passport in Nigeria take effect from September 1, 2025, with about 100% increment, the Federal Government has vowed that passports will now be delivered within one week of enrolment.
Following sweeping reforms in the issuance process as announced in a statement this Thursday (28/8/25), Immigration spokesman, A.S. Akinlabi, 32-Page Passport now costs ₦100,000, while 64-Page is to take ₦200,000.
However, Nigerian Passport Application fees made by Nigerians in diaspora remain unchanged at $150 for a 32-page passport with 5-year validity and $230 for a 64-page passport with 10-year validity.
Briefing Newsmen the same Thursday in Abuja during the ministry’s mid-tenure performance retreat, Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, explained that the new decision will ensure the elimination of all forms of corruption in passport acquisition.
“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,” the minister declared.
Tunji-Ojo pointed out that the new system was designed to eliminate long delays and extortion that once forced citizens to wait six to seven months or pay as much as ₦200,000 to fast-track processing.
“The system that we inherited, which had six months of backlog, which we were able to clear in two and a half weeks, that system that was inefficient, Nigerians will apply for a passport, it will take six to seven months to get it, a system that, for a passport, you need to pay ₦200,000 to ₦250,000, that system we inherited was inefficient.
“My own daughter had that bad experience. Even when I was chairman of the House Committee on the NDDC, my daughter wanted a passport, but 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,” Tunji-Ojo said.
According to him, the centralised personalisation centre, which is the largest in Africa, would ensure faster processing and stricter security.
He further revealed that in the new system, passport control officers, PCOs, who have been accused of being the brain behind the undue delays and extortion would no longer have the power to approve or delay passport applications, adding that the reform would also curb racketeering, and restore 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 with PCOs. My responsibility is not for them to like me — it is to deliver efficiency. Let Nigerians be happy.
“My responsibility is not just to make passports available, but to ensure that anybody carrying it is a Nigerian. If you are not a Nigerian, you cannot carry it. It’s about our national integrity,” the Minister maintained.
