To redeem its pledge to modernise Nigeria’s passport ecosystem, deliver efficient services to citizens and elevate the global reputation of the country’s travel documents, the federal government has unveiled a Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) headquarters in Abuja.
The initiative, driven by the Ministry of Interior, is aimed at streamlining passport production, reducing delays and improving the overall efficiency of the issuance process. With the new system, Nigerians can receive their passports within one week of application.
The minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who inspected the facility yesterday, described it as a “game-changer” that will end delays and backlogs in passport production.
The centre, the first of its kind since the establishment of the NIS in 1963, allows passports to be printed within 24 hours and delivered within seven days, aligning Nigeria with global best practices in countries like the US, UK, France and India.
He said, “This centre allows passports to be printed within 24 hours and delivered within seven days. No Nigerian should wait endlessly for a document that defines their identity.”
According to Tunji-Ojo, the new facility is equipped with high-speed machines capable of personalising over 1,000 passports per hour, a significant upgrade from the previous daily average of 250–300.“ This gives the service a potential output of 4,500 to 5,000 passports per day,“ he stated.
The minister also announced the unification of Nigeria’s two passport series into a single regime and the country’s full migration to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Public Key Directory, which he said ensures international authentication of Nigerian passports.
“We have eliminated a backlog of over 200,000 passport applications. With this centralisation, we are not just improving speed, we’re ensuring quality and accountability,” the minister said.
He noted that the new centralised model will significantly cut down processing time, enhance transparency and align Nigeria’s passport operations with global best practices observed in countries like the United States, United Kingdom, France, and India.
“What we’ve done is to institutionalise excellence. This is not a favour; it is the right of every Nigerian to be served efficiently,” Tunji-Ojo said.
The minister credited the project‘s success to President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to public sector reform.
He said the centralisation will improve quality, accountability, and efficiency, reducing processing time from weeks to hours, adding that the reforms mark a major milestone in service delivery and national identity management.
“We are laying the foundation for a passport system Nigerians can be proud of. For instance, it‘s a big win for this administration and Nigerians.
“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.
The minister highlighted key milestones of the reform programme, including the migration to a single, uniform passport series and eliminating discrepancies between older versions.
Nigeria’s full integration into the ICAO Public Key Directory (PKD) will ensure global authentication of Nigerian passports and the successful deployment of the new system across all passport issuing locations, including Nigerian missions abroad.
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 stated.
