The Federal Government has officially ended passport production at multiple centres across Nigeria, consolidating operations into a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) inaugurated the Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at its headquarters in Abuja, a move aimed at increasing efficiency and improving service delivery.Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, inspected the new facility on Thursday and described it as a major reform milestone.
“Since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now,” he said. “The project is 100 per cent ready.
Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services.”Dr. Tunji-Ojo explained that the previous system relied on machines that could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, limiting the agency’s capacity.
The new centralised system, however, can produce between 4,500 and 5,000 passports every day, allowing NIS to meet daily demands within four to five hours of operation.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week,” he adde. “Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians.”
The minister noted that centralisation would improve uniformity, strengthen the integrity of Nigerian travel documents, and align operations with global standards.
He described the initiative as part of broader reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, aimed at enhancing NIS capacity and modernising passport services.“This development is a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform,” Dr. Tunji-Ojo said.
The new facility is expected to streamline passport issuance nationwide, marking a significant shift in how the government manages travel documentation.
