NIS dispels fears, says passport processing continues nationwide

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By Omeiza Ajayi

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ABUJA: The Nigeria Immigration Service NIS has assured Nigerians that the ongoing centralisation of passport booklet production will not disrupt passport processing and issuance at any of its offices across the country or at Nigerian embassies and consulates abroad.

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The clarification was contained in a statement on Wednesday night by the Service Public Relations Officer, DCI Akinsola Akinlabi, who said the reform had generated public enquiries and misconceptions following the phased migration of passport production from state passport offices to the Central Personalization Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja.

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According to the Service, the migration is strictly an operational reform designed to modernise Nigeria’s passport issuance system by strengthening its security, integrity and efficiency, and does not affect the ability of applicants to process or obtain passports from their preferred passport offices.

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“The migration of production in passport offices to the Central Personalization Centre is purely operational and does not in any way stop the processing and issuance of passport at any passport office within the country or at designated Nigeria’s Embassies and Consulates abroad,” the statement said.

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The NIS explained that the reform is being implemented through a five-phase migration plan aimed at reducing operational risks, preventing service disruptions and ensuring seamless nationwide implementation.

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It disclosed that the first three phases of the programme have already been completed, covering passport offices in the North Central, North East, South East, South South, North West and parts of the South West, as well as dozens of Nigerian diplomatic missions across Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and Oceania.

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The fourth phase, scheduled for August 2026, will onboard passport offices in Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Kano, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa states, while the final phase, expected to be completed before the end of the year, will cover Lagos passport offices and Nigerian missions in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.

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Under the new operational framework, all passport booklets will now be printed and security-personalised exclusively at a secure, centralised and high-capacity production hub located at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja.

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The Service said the arrangement would enable passports to be produced and dispatched to passport offices across Nigeria and overseas missions within two weeks, while all passport offices would continue to function as centres for application processing and issuance.

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It added that the centralisation would eliminate manual intervention in the passport personalisation process, curb document arbitrage, improve accountability and guarantee uniform quality standards with enhanced security features embedded in every Nigerian passport.

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The NIS urged applicants to continue accessing passport services at their preferred passport offices, stressing that the reform would not alter existing application procedures.

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Reaffirming its commitment to improved service delivery, the Service said it would continue deploying technology-driven solutions to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s passport system in line with international best practices.

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