FG unveils new centralised passport centre

The Federal Government has described the newly completed Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre in Abuja as a “big win” for the country and the first of its kind in the 62-year history of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who inspected the mega passport data personalisation centre at NIS Headquarters, said the centre would reduce response time as passports could be printed within 24 hours and delivered within a week.

Tunji-Ojo, who was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Magdalene Ajani, and the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nanna Nandap, noted that the centre aligns Nigeria with leading nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, India and Bangladesh in adopting a centralised passport personalisation system — a global best practice that guarantees quality, integrity, and efficiency.

He explained that the centre’s state-of-the-art infrastructure would revolutionise passport production, boosting capacity from 250–300 booklets per machine daily to over 4,500–5,000 passports per day, with approved passports ready for collection within 24 hours.

“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.

According to him, the new system puts an end to the previous arrangement where passports were personalised in about 96 centres across Nigeria and abroad — a model he described as “vulnerable and inefficient.”

“Centralisation is global best practice because it ensures higher quality, better control, and greater efficiency. We promised Nigerians that we would centralise passport personalisation and production, and I am pleased to announce that this project is now 100 per cent ready.”

The Minister revealed that while the old machines could only process 250–300 passports per machine daily, the new facility now produces about 1,000 passports per hour, giving the NIS the capacity to deliver between 4,500 and 5,000 passports within a normal workday.

“This means applicants whose requests are approved can now expect their passports to be printed within 24 hours,” he added.

Highlighting other reforms, Tunji-Ojo announced the unification of Nigeria’s two passport series into a single regime with the support of technical partner Iris Smart Technologies.

The Minister also recalled that Nigeria has fully migrated to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Public Key Directory, which authenticates travel documents globally.

“With this, the integrity and global credibility of our passport have been significantly strengthened,” he said.

The Minister further recalled that the government inherited a backlog of 204,000 passport applications but stressed that the new system eliminates such challenges by automating personalisation and reducing human intervention.

“This project ensures that the era of backlogs is over. Officers no longer have to work round the clock to clear piles of applications. The system is now seamless, fast, and accountable,” he assured.

Tunji-Ojo thanked President Bola Tinubu for his unwavering support, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, the Comptroller-General of Immigration, NIS officers, and technical partners for their role in bringing the project to life.

He noted that reforms in the Service directly impact citizens by reducing waiting time from weeks to hours. “We promised two weeks’ delivery; we are already working towards achieving one week or less,” he said.

The centralised personalisation centre, according to the Minister, stands as a major milestone in the government’s ongoing reforms in service delivery, efficiency and national identity management.

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