The Federal Government has issued over 3.5 million passports since August 2023 and saved more than N1 billion annually following sweeping reforms in the passport application process, the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed on Tuesday.
Speaking during the commissioning of a new passport front office in Abuja, Tunji-Ojo said the changes were part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at enhancing service delivery, national security, and efficiency within the Ministry of Interior.
The minister revealed that the administration inherited a backlog of over 200,000 unprocessed passport applications and a debt of nearly N20 billion upon assumption of office in 2023. Both the backlog and debt, he said, have since been cleared.
“Between August 2023 and now, 3,080,141 passports were issued within Nigeria, while 466,117 were processed for Nigerians in the diaspora, bringing the total to 3,546,258,” Tunji-Ojo stated.
A key component of the reforms, he noted, was the automation of the upload process for breeder documents—such as birth and marriage certificates—which previously cost the government about N1 billion annually.
“That money now stays in government coffers. We no longer outsource what Nigerians can do themselves,” he explained.
Tunji-Ojo also announced the expansion of enhanced e-passport issuance centres from 26 to 44 across Nigeria and from five to 47 globally. He said all passport offices now issue harmonised enhanced passports, aligning Nigeria with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.
“We used to have credibility issues because different types of passports were being issued. Today, every Nigerian passport is ICAO-compliant and globally verifiable,” he added.
The minister further disclosed that a state-of-the-art passport personalisation centre, donated by Iris Smart Technologies at no cost to the government, would become operational by August 2025.
He commended the private sector’s role in driving reforms and noted that Nigeria now produces passports in over 50 locations worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo announced a major policy shift: effective July 31, all applications for special expatriate and temporary work permits must be submitted online.
“Manual processing will be discontinued. We need complete biometric and documentation records of all applicants for national security reasons,” he emphasized.
The minister said these reforms are part of the government’s broader commitment to digital governance, transparency, and efficient public service delivery.
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