Why Nigeria Will Withdraw Passports From Persons Who Renounced Citizenship — Minister

Minister of Interior Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has explained that the withdrawal and deactivation of passports from citizens who renounced their Nigerian nationality is a necessary legal step to uphold the country’s constitutional provisions and safeguard the integrity of its travel documents.

He said the directive, which has drawn widespread public attention, was targeted strictly at individuals whose renunciation of Nigerian citizenship had been formally approved, stressing that such persons are no longer entitled to hold or use Nigerian passports.

The minister, who gave the directive, said it targeted Nigerians whose renunciation requests had been officially approved by the president, barring them from continuing to hold or use Nigerian travel documents following the completion of that process.

A statement by the special adviser on media to the minister, Alao Babatunde, said the minister grounded the policy in Section 29, subsections (1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which provides that; “Any citizen of Nigeria of full age who wishes to renounce his Nigerian citizenship shall make a declaration in the prescribed manner for the renunciation.”

He said, “The president shall cause the declaration made under subsection (1) of this section to be registered and upon such registration, the person who made the declaration shall cease to be a citizen of Nigeria.”

Tunji-Ojo stated that once a person loses Nigerian citizenship, they are no longer entitled to carry any sovereign document of the state, including its passport.

The statement further explained that the directive formed part of a broader set of passport and visa reforms the Ministry of Interior had pursued in recent years. The minister framed the move as an effort to strengthen border security, curb identity fraud, and preserve the integrity of Nigerian citizenship.

“We will continue to strengthen systems that secure Nigeria’s borders, prevent identity fraud, preserve the sanctity of Nigerian citizenship, and facilitate legitimate travel while preventing unauthorized or ineligible access,” he said.