…NDRA seeks subsidy redirection to Correctional Services
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to order the reversal of the recently announced increase in international passport fees, describing the new charges as “arbitrary, unlawful, unjustified, and excessive.”
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) had announced that, effective September 1, 2025, passport applications within Nigeria would cost ₦100,000 for a 32-page, five-year document and ₦200,000 for a 64-page, 10-year booklet. The hike comes just a year after a similar adjustment in September 2024.
In a letter signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP argued that the hike amounts to a discriminatory denial of access to passports for millions of socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians, adding that it unlawfully restricts their constitutional and citizenship rights.
The organisation reminded the Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nanna Nandap, of their constitutional and international obligations, insisting that government must balance revenue targets with citizens’ rights.
“The new fees will hit hardest those at the bottom of the economic ladder,” SERAP warned, stressing that the policy undermines inclusiveness.
Meanwhile, the Niger Delta Rights Advocates (NDRA) has urged the Federal Government to halt subsidies on passport costs and redirect such funds to improving the welfare of inmates in correctional facilities and enhancing the operational capacity of the Immigration Service.
In a statement signed by its National Chairman, Bright Ngolo, the group commended the Interior Ministry for clearing over ₦25 billion in outstanding obligations from passport importation but argued that subsidising passports, which are dollar-indexed, was economically unsustainable.
“Funds used for subsidies can be better applied to improve living standards in correctional centres and strengthen national security,” Ngolo said, also advocating prioritisation of national identity capture through the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to reduce pressure on international passport demand.
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