Immigration ends decentralised passport production after 62 years

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single and centralised system for the first time in 62 years.

The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made this known while inspecting Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the Immigration headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, September 18, 2025.

Tunji-Ojo stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.

“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.

The minister noted that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system has a capacity to produce 4,500 to 5,000 passports daily.

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“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” Tunji-Ojo added, describing it as a game changer for passport processing in Nigeria.

“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.

“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians.”

The minister stated that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.

Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.

He said the centralised production system aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for better service delivery.

The Star