By Odita Sunday
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has clarified that its ongoing Passport Centralisation Reform will not affect passport processing and issuance at any passport office across the country or at Nigeria’s embassies and consulates abroad.
According to a statement signed by the Service Public Relations Officer, DCI Akinsola Akinlabi, the migration of passport production from various passport offices to the Central Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja is a purely operational measure aimed at improving efficiency, security and the integrity of Nigeria’s passport issuance system.
The clarification follows public enquiries and misconceptions over the phased centralisation of passport production across the six geopolitical zones and Nigeria’s foreign missions.
Akinlabi explained that while passport booklets would now be printed and security-personalised at the central facility in Abuja, passport offices nationwide and designated Nigerian embassies and consulates abroad would continue to receive applications, process requests and issue passports as before.
He said the reform forms part of the Service’s broader modernisation programme designed to strengthen service delivery while aligning Nigeria’s passport system with international best practices.
Under the new framework, all passport booklets will be produced at a secure, high-capacity production hub at the Service Headquarters before being dispatched to passport offices nationwide and overseas within two weeks.
The NIS spokesman disclosed that the migration is being implemented in five phases to minimise operational risks, avoid service disruptions and ensure seamless integration.
He noted that the first phase, completed in January 2025, covered seven domestic passport offices and 30 foreign missions, while the second phase, concluded in March 2026, onboarded 12 local passport offices and five foreign missions.
According to him, the third phase was completed in June 2026, bringing an additional 17 domestic offices and five foreign missions into the centralised system.
Akinlabi said the fourth phase, scheduled for August 2026, will cover 10 passport offices in Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Kano, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa states.
He added that the final phase, expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2026, will include five passport offices in Lagos as well as selected foreign missions in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.
Explaining the benefits of the reform, Akinlabi said, “The migration of production in passport offices to the Central Personalization Centre is purely operational and does not in any way stop the processing and issuance of passport at any passport office within the country or at designated Nigeria’s Embassies and Consulates abroad.”
He further stated that “all passport booklets printing and security personalization have been consolidated into a secure, centralized and high-capacity production hub in the Service Headquarters, Abuja, ensuring passports are produced and dispatched to passport offices across the country and diaspora within a two-week timeframe.”
The NIS spokesman added that the reform “eliminates manual intervention in the personalization process, removes document arbitrage, enhances accountability and guarantees uniform quality standards, including advanced security features embedded in every Nigerian passport.”
He urged Nigerians to continue accessing passport services at their preferred passport offices, assuring them that the reforms are intended to improve service delivery rather than restrict access.
Akinlabi reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to deploying technology-driven solutions that enhance efficiency while safeguarding the integrity and global credibility of Nigeria’s passport system.
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