The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately reverse what it described as the arbitrary and excessive increase in passport application fees announced by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
Under the new policy set to take effect on September 1, 2025, applicants within Nigeria will pay ₦100,000 for a 32-page, five-year validity passport and ₦200,000 for a 64-page, 10-year validity passport. This marks the second hike in less than a year, following a similar increase on September 1, 2024.
In a letter to the President, SERAP said the hike amounts to a discriminatory denial of access to passports for millions of economically vulnerable Nigerians, restricting their fundamental citizenship rights.
“Millions of disadvantaged Nigerians cannot realistically afford to pay the increased fees. They should not be forced to divert their meagre income from basic living needs to cover these costs,” SERAP stated.
The group argued that the Minister of Interior and the Comptroller General of the NIS acted unlawfully by approving the increase without assessing its impact on citizens already grappling with harsh economic realities.
According to SERAP, the measure violates Chapters 2 and 4 of the Nigerian Constitution on state policy and fundamental rights, as well as international human rights treaties binding on Nigeria.
“The increased fees will hit hardest those at the bottom of the economy. Nigerians who cannot afford to pay would be denied the effective enjoyment of their constitutional rights,” it said.
SERAP gave the government seven days to reverse the policy or face legal action. “If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply in the public interest,” the letter warned.
