iDeemlawfulThe Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to instruct the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nanna Nandap, to immediately reverse the “arbitrary, unlawful, unjustified, and excessive passport fees” ranging between N100,000 and N200,000.
Last week, the NIS announced that from September 1, 2025, passport applications within Nigeria would cost N100,000 for the 32-page, five-year validity passport and N200,000 for the 64-page, 10-year validity passport. The hike comes less than a year after a similar increase on September 1, 2024.
In a letter signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation stated that the “unlawfully high” charges amount to a discriminatory denial of access to passports for millions of socially and economically disadvantaged Nigerians, violating their citizenship rights.
SERAP stressed that the Minister of Interior and the Comptroller General of the NIS must comply with the Nigerian Constitution and the country’s international human rights obligations while exercising their statutory duties.
The organisation warned that the new fees would disproportionately impact low-income earners. It emphasized that authorities have a legal duty to balance passport charges with citizens’ rights.
Meanwhile, the Niger Delta Rights Advocates (NDRA) called on the Federal Government to end subsidies on international passports and redirect the funds toward improving welfare in Nigeria Correctional Services (NCoS) facilities and purchasing ammunition for the NIS.
In a statement signed by its National Chairman, Bright Ngolo, the group commended the Ministry of Interior for clearing over N25 billion in outstanding obligations on passport importation, urging more prudent resource management.
Ngolo argued that subsidising international passports, which are dollar-denominated, is economically unsustainable.
He suggested reallocating funds to improve living standards for correctional inmates and prioritising national identity database registration through the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) while reducing reliance on international passports.
