By Kwin Israel, The Sight News
The federal government has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Thursday, led an inspection of the Nigeria Immigration Service’s newly completed Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre in Abuja, which is aimed at revolutionizing passport production in line with global best practice that guarantees quality, integrity, and efficiency.
The facility, a landmark in Nigeria’s ongoing passport reform initiative, represents the first of its kind in the 62-year history of the Nigeria Immigration Service.
Speaking in Abuja during the inspection, the minister described the centre as a “big win for this administration and for Nigerians,” noting that it aligns Nigeria with leading nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, India and Bangladesh, in adopting a centralised passport personalisation system.
He explained that the centre’s state-of-the-art infrastructure will revolutionise passport production, boosting capacity from 250–300 booklets per machine daily to over 4500–5,000 passports per day with approved passports ready for collection within 24 hours.
“The era of backlogs and manual personalisation is over. Nigerians can now expect faster, more reliable service as we strengthen the integrity of our travel documents,” the Minister stated.
Highlighting key milestones of the reform programme, the Minister listed:
- Migration to a single, uniform passport series, eliminating discrepancies between older versions.
- Nigeria’s full integration into the ICAO Public Key Directory (PKD), ensuring global authentication of Nigerian passports.
- Successful deployment of the new system across all passport issuing locations, including Nigerian missions abroad.
He credited President Bola Tinubu, for his unwavering support, as well as the dedication of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, the CG Immigration Service Kemi N Nandap, officers of the Ministry, and the personnel of the Nigeria Immigration Service.
The Minister also commended IRIS Smart Technologies Ltd., the government’s technical partner, for enabling the project through a strategic partnership that required no direct draw from public coffers.
“This project underscores our resolve to build enduring institutions rather than systems dependent on individuals,” the Minister concluded”.
According to him, the inspection reinforces the Federal Government’s pledge to modernise Nigeria’s passport ecosystem, deliver efficient services to citizens, and elevate the global reputation of Nigerian travel documents.
The minister was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, and the Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nana-Nandap during the inspection tour.
