PASSPORT: We didn't exempt South East from issuance - Immigration

Contrary to the wide spread news, thee Nigeria immigration services (NIS) has rescued itself from the allegation that it disqualified states in the south east region from issuing international passports.

In a statement by the Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO), Akinsola Akinlabi, on Saturday, the NIS described the report as baseless and a gross misrepresentation of ongoing government reforms aimed at modernising passport administration.

He clarified that no part of the country had been excluded from passport issuance, stressing that the reforms were designed to strengthen efficiency, integrity and security in passport production nationwide.

According to him, the service introduced a phased onboarding system to migrate passport offices, including those in Nigerian foreign missions, to a centralised passport production framework.

Akinlabi explained that the modernisation process, which commenced in 2024, was targeted at improving service delivery and safeguarding the credibility of Nigeria’s passport system, rather than denying any citizen access to the document.

He disclosed that passport offices in the North-East and North-Central zones have already been successfully onboarded into the centralised production system.

“The states are Borno, Yobe, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau. 35 international passport stations across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America had been fully integrated into the new production framework,” Akinlabi said.

The NIS spokesman revealed that the scheduled migration of passport offices in the South-East was currently ongoing within the first quarter of 2026.

He listed the affected states as Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, adding that five additional international stations located in Italy, Greece, Spain, Switzerland and Austria were also part of the ongoing onboarding exercise.

To ensure a smooth transition, Akinlabi said that the service had established a strict work-plan calendar aimed at preventing disruptions to passport delivery timelines.

He emphasised that the structured approach was intended to guarantee seamless implementation of the reforms while sustaining operational efficiency.

Akinlabi advised members of the public to disregard speculative narratives capable of creating unnecessary tension and misunderstanding.

He reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to equitable service delivery, operational excellence and the overall national interest as it continues to implement reforms in passport administration.