The Federal Government has launched a Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) headquarters in Abuja, marking a significant advancement in the nation’s passport issuance system.
This initiative represents a strategic effort to modernize Nigeria’s passport infrastructure, enhance service delivery to citizens, and boost the international standing of Nigerian travel documents.
Championed by the Ministry of Interior, the project aims to optimize passport production workflows, minimize processing delays, and elevate the overall efficiency of passport issuance.
Thanks to this new setup, applicants can now expect to receive their passports within just seven days of applying.
Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, who toured the facility, hailed it as a transformative development that will eradicate previous bottlenecks and backlogs in passport processing.
As the first facility of its kind since the NIS was founded in 1963, the centre enables passports to be printed within 24 hours and delivered within a week, bringing Nigeria’s passport services in line with international standards observed in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, France, and India.
He emphasized, “This centre ensures passports are produced within a day and delivered within seven days. No Nigerian should endure prolonged waits for a document that is fundamental to their identity.”
Minister Tunji-Ojo highlighted that the centre is outfitted with advanced, high-speed equipment capable of personalising over 1,000 passports every hour, a remarkable improvement over the previous daily output of 250 to 300 passports. “This technology enables us to produce between 4,500 and 5,000 passports daily,” he noted.
Additionally, the Minister announced the consolidation of Nigeria’s two existing passport series into a single, unified format and the country’s complete transition to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Public Key Directory (PKD), which guarantees the global verification of Nigerian passports.
“We have successfully cleared a backlog exceeding 200,000 passport applications. This centralisation not only accelerates processing times but also enhances quality control and accountability,” he stated.
He further remarked, “We have institutionalized a culture of excellence. Efficient service delivery is not a privilege but a fundamental right for every Nigerian.”
The Minister attributed the project’s success to President Bola Tinubu’s dedication to reforming the public sector.
He assured that the centralised system would significantly improve service quality, transparency, and speed, reducing passport processing from several weeks to mere hours. These reforms represent a pivotal achievement in national identity management and public service.
“We are establishing a passport system that Nigerians can take pride in. This is a major victory for both the current administration and the citizens,” he affirmed.
“The days of backlogs and manual passport personalisation are behind us. Nigerians can now anticipate faster, more dependable service as we reinforce the security and integrity of our travel documents,” the Minister added.
Outlining key accomplishments of the reform, the Minister cited the migration to a single, standardized passport series that resolves inconsistencies between older versions, Nigeria’s full integration into the ICAO PKD for worldwide passport authentication, and the successful rollout of the new system across all passport issuance points, including Nigerian diplomatic missions abroad.
He also praised IRIS Smart Technologies Ltd., the government’s technical collaborator, for facilitating the project through a strategic partnership that did not require direct government funding.
“This initiative reflects our commitment to building sustainable institutions rather than systems reliant on individuals,” the Minister declared.
He concluded by stating that the government has achieved unprecedented efficiency. “For the first time since the Immigration Service’s inception in 1963, passport production can be completed in record time. We now boast a world-class system designed to deliver world-class service.”
