The Presidency has defended the sharp increase in passport application fees announced by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), insisting that Nigerians have always paid even higher amounts through bribes to fast-track processing.
President Bola Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant, Temitope Ajayi, made the clarification in a post on X on Friday, following widespread outrage over the new pricing regime.
On Thursday, NIS revealed that beginning September 1, 2025, a 32-page passport with five-year validity will cost ₦100,000, while a 64-page passport valid for ten years will go for ₦200,000.
The revised fees apply strictly to applications made within Nigeria, while those obtained abroad remain pegged at $150 and $230, respectively.
NIS explained that the increment was necessary to “uphold the quality and integrity of the Nigerian Passport.”
But the announcement triggered fierce backlash, with citizens and opposition leaders denouncing the move as harsh and inconsiderate, especially in light of the recently approved ₦70,000 minimum wage.
Former presidential candidate Peter Obi, in a strongly worded reaction, said, “The obsession of this administration with putting a burden on the populace is becoming legendary and continues to reveal its apparent disconnect with the people and the suffering.
“The International Passport fees in Nigeria have now skyrocketed to ₦100,000 for a 32-page booklet and ₦200,000 for 64 pages. This is the third increase in just two years.
“In a country where the new minimum wage is only ₦70,000, the cost of a single passport now exceeds a worker’s monthly salary, probably the only country in the world to achieve this feat.”
Responding to Obi and other critics, the Presidency countered that the new fees only formalise what Nigerians already spend informally.
“Nigerians have always paid more than N100k and N200k to get the 5 years and 10 years valid travel passport, in bribes, to Immigration officers to get their passports out on time,” it stated.
It added, “The difference now is: the money will go into government coffers for same express service instead of private pockets.”
