Why FG Can't Subsidise Passport Fees — Minister

Posted by Thandiubani on Fri 27th Sep, 2024 - tori.ng

Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja to mark his first year in office, the minister said the government could not subsidise passport fees for Nigerians.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has opened up that the federal government cannot subsidize passport fees.

Tunji-Ojo spoke on Friday while justifying why FG increased passport fees.

He attributed the fee adjustment to the exchange rate between the dollar and the naira.

In August, the Nigerian Immigration Service announced an upward review of the fees for Nigerian Standard Passports.

As per the new structure, the cost of a 32-page passport booklet with a five-year validity increased from N35,000 to N50,000, while a 64-page passport booklet with a 10-year validity rose from N70,000 to N100,000.

Many Nigerians expressed disappointment over the fee hike, accusing the government of making japa (migration) more expensive.

However, speaking at a media briefing in Abuja to mark his first year in office, the minister said the government could not subsidise passport fees for Nigerians.

He also clarified that the price increase did not affect the fees for Nigerians living abroad.

Tunji-Ojo explained, “The increase in passport fees is a matter of cost-benefit analysis, especially when considering the exchange rate between the dollar and the naira. If the government were to subsidise anything, I don’t think it should be passports. The increase is just from N35,000 to N50,000 — only about 45%. There has been no increase for Nigerians abroad.”

He stressed that the government was not exploiting Nigerians but simply covering the cost of passport procurement.

Tunji-Ojo also revealed that Nigerians in the diaspora, particularly those in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, would soon enjoy more seamless passport acquisition processes.

“We are going to pre-launch these automated systems very soon. By October, they will be fully operational. In London, for instance, we have 16,000 Nigerians applying for passports, while the capacity of our systems at the Embassy is about 200.

“But now that we have this system in place, Nigerians will no longer need to undertake multiple journeys across the world to acquire a passport.”

The minister also noted that all passport backlogs had been cleared and that the Nigeria Immigration Service no longer owes its service providers for the printing and supply of passports.

“We now have about 80,000 passports in stock, including both the 32-page and 64-page booklets,” he added.