By Peter Omopo
The Nigeria Immigration Service has denied reports circulating online that certain regions of the country have been barred from obtaining Nigerian passports, describing the claims as false and misleading.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Service’s Public Relations Officer, DCI Akinsola Akinlabi, said the reports were a gross misrepresentation of ongoing reforms aimed at modernising passport administration nationwide.
Akinlabi explained that the temporary disruptions being experienced in some passport offices are part of a phased, government-led migration to a centralised passport production system, and not an attempt to discriminate against any region or group of citizens.
“The attention of the NIS has been drawn to baseless online claims suggesting that certain regions have been excluded from passport issuance. These reports misrepresent ongoing government reforms to migrate passport offices, including those in foreign missions, to a centralised production framework,” he said.
According to him, the modernisation programme, which commenced in 2024, is designed to enhance the efficiency, security and integrity of the passport issuance process, while ensuring seamless service delivery to Nigerians at home and abroad.
He disclosed that passport offices in the North-East and North-Central states of Borno, Yobe, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau have already been successfully migrated to the new system. In addition, 35 international passport stations across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America have completed the transition.
Akinlabi said the current phase of the migration covers passport offices in the South-East states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, as well as five international stations located in Italy, Greece, Spain, Switzerland and Austria.
He added that the process is scheduled to run through the first quarter of 2026 and is being implemented under a strict work-plan calendar to minimise disruptions to passport issuance timelines.
The NIS urged Nigerians to disregard what it described as speculative narratives capable of creating unnecessary tension, reiterating its commitment to equitable service delivery and operational excellence.
“Our goal remains to implement these reforms in the national interest and provide efficient, secure passport services for all citizens,” Akinlabi said.
