NIS to Nigerians: Passport services remain operational nationwide despite centralisation

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has assured that services at its passport offices continue despite the ongoing implementation of its passport centralisation reform.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Akinsola Akinlabi, NIS public relations officer, said the clarification was necessary following public enquiries and misconceptions arising from the phased migration of production in passport offices across all the six geopolitical zones in the country to the Central Personalisation Centre at the service headquarters in Abuja.

“The Service unequivocally state that the migration of production in passport offices to the Central Personalization Centre is purely operational and does not in anyway stop the processing and issuance of passport at any passport office within the country or at designated Nigeria’s Embassies and Consulates abroad,” the statement reads.

“It forms part of a broader modernization Programme aimed at strengthening the security, integrity, and efficiency of Nigeria’s passport issuance system.”

Centralisation migration services began in January across the geopolitical zones and have covered 36 local and 40 international passport centres respectively. Migration services have yet to be completed in 15 local and five foreign centres.

“Under the new operational framework, all passport booklets printing and security personalization have been consolidated into a secure, centralized, and high-capacity production hub in the Service Headquarters Abuja, ensuring passports are produced and dispatched to passport offices across the country and diaspora within a two-week timeframe,” Akinlabi said.

The NIS official said the reforms would eliminate manual intervention in the personalisation process, remove document arbitrage, enhance accountability, and guarantee uniform quality standards including advanced security features embedded in every Nigerian passport.

He noted that passport offices in the country and abroad will continue to function and urged applicants to continue accessing services at their preferred centres.