The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially halted passport production across its multiple centres nationwide, transitioning to a single, centralised personalisation hub for the first time in its 62-year history.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the landmark reform on Thursday during an inspection of the newly established Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a “game-changer” that will revolutionise passport services in Nigeria and align with global standards.
“Since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria has never had a central passport production centre until now. The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” the minister declared.
Massive Boost in Production Capacity
Explaining the operational benefits, Tunji-Ojo revealed that the old decentralised machines produced only 250 to 300 passports daily, whereas the new centralised system can generate between 4,500 and 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he said, adding that the reform would enable the agency to deliver passports within two weeks and soon reduce the timeline to just one week.
He emphasised that automation and optimisation are key to achieving faster turnaround times and restoring public confidence in Nigeria’s travel document system.
Enhancing Integrity and Global Acceptance
Tunji-Ojo stressed that centralising passport production will improve uniformity, data integrity, and the overall credibility of Nigerian passports worldwide.
He noted that the initiative aligns with Bola Tinubu’s administration’s public service reform agenda, aimed at boosting institutional capacity, eliminating inefficiencies, and modernising national identity infrastructure.
“This is not just about faster passports. It’s about building trust, enhancing national pride, and proving that government services can work efficiently for citizens,” the minister said.
End of an Era for Multi-Centre Production
Until this reform, passport production had been carried out at various zonal and state centres across the country—a system in place since the creation of the NIS in 1963.
The new centralised model marks the end of that 62-year practice and is expected to streamline processes, reduce bottlenecks, and curb opportunities for corruption and document forgery.
