Nigeria has launched its first centralised passport personalisation centre, a facility designed to fast-track the country’s passport production and end long waiting times for applicants.
Unveiled at the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) headquarters in Abuja, the high-tech centre can process up to 5,000 passports daily, an unprecedented leap from the 250–300 passports previously produced each day.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who toured the new facility on Thursday with NIS Comptroller General Kemi Nandap, said the centre marks “a turning point” in passport processing.
“With this strategic infrastructural investment, which did not cost the government a kobo, the NIS can now personalise over 1,000 passports in just one hour,” Tunji-Ojo announced.
He explained that under five work hours, the service can now deliver between 4,500 and 5,000 passports, a development expected to drastically cut delays and improve service delivery nationwide.
The minister praised President Bola Tinubu’s administration for prioritising transparency and accountability, noting that the centralised hub would ensure faster distribution and end needless bottlenecks.
The move comes just weeks after the NIS raised passport fees, with a 32-page passport (five-year validity) now costing ₦100,000 and a 64-page passport (10-year validity) priced at ₦200,000.
For millions of Nigerians frustrated by slow processing and repeated delays, the new Abuja facility could finally signal the beginning of a smoother, faster passport acquisition process.
