The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has refuted an online claim suggesting that a particular region of the country has been barred from obtaining passports.
In a statement issued by the Service’s National Public Relations Officer, Akinsola Akinlabi, the NIS described the report as completely false and a serious distortion of ongoing government efforts to modernise passport administration.
The Service clarified that it has implemented a phased onboarding process to transition passport offices, including those at Nigeria’s foreign missions, into a centralised production system.
This modernisation effort, which began in 2024, aims to enhance the “efficiency, integrity, and security of Nigeria’s passport production system” without excluding any citizen.
According to the NIS, passport offices in the North East and North Central states, including Borno, Yobe, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau, as well as 35 international stations across Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America, have successfully adapted to this new system.
Scheduled migration for the five South East states which includes Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo along with five additional international stations namely; Italy, Greece, Spain, Switzerland, and Austria) is currently underway, targeting completion within the first quarter of 2026.
To ensure a smooth transition, the NIS said it has established a strict work plan calendar, indicating that the goal is to drive the process towards greater efficiency without disrupting delivery timelines.
The government therefore called on the public to disregard speculative narratives that could create unnecessary tension, as the NIS continues to implement reforms in the national interest.
The service said it remains “committed to equitable service delivery and operational excellence.”