The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has dismissed claims circulating online that a particular region of the country has been excluded from obtaining Nigerian passports, describing the reports as false and misleading.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Service said the allegations stem from a misinterpretation of ongoing reforms aimed at modernising Nigeria’s passport administration system.
The NIS stressed that no region, state or group of Nigerians has been barred from passport issuance, noting that the reforms are being implemented nationwide in phases.
According to the Service, it is currently undertaking a phased onboarding of passport offices within Nigeria and at foreign missions into a centralised passport production framework. The process, which began in 2024, is designed to improve efficiency, enhance security and strengthen the integrity of passport issuance.
The statement disclosed that passport offices in several North-East and North-Central states, including Borno, Yobe, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau, have already been successfully migrated to the new system. It added that 35 international passport stations across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America have also been onboarded.
The Service further said the migration of passport offices in the five South-East states—Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo—along with five additional foreign missions in Italy, Greece, Spain, Switzerland and Austria, is currently in progress and scheduled for completion within the first quarter of 2026.
To ensure a seamless transition, the NIS said it has established a structured work-plan calendar to minimise disruptions and sustain service delivery throughout the migration period.
The Service urged the public to disregard speculative reports capable of creating unnecessary tension, reaffirming its commitment to equitable service delivery, national interest and operational excellence.
