By Abbanobi-Eku Onyeka
Abuja
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has clarified the ongoing implementation of its Passport Centralization Reform, saying the migration of passport production to a central hub in Abuja does not stop processing or issuance at any passport office in Nigeria or abroad.
In a statement signed by DCI Akinsola Akinlabi, Service Public Relations Officer, the NIS said public enquiries and misconceptions followed the phased migration of production across passport offices in the six geopolitical zones to the Central Personalization Centre at the Service Headquarters.
“The migration of production in passport offices to the Central Personalization Centre is purely operational and does not in any way stop the processing and issuance of passport at any passport office within the country or at designated Nigeria’s Embassies and Consulates abroad,” the statement read.
According to the Service, the reform forms part of a broader modernization programme aimed at strengthening the security, integrity, and efficiency of Nigeria’s passport issuance system.
The NIS said it adopted a five-phase migration plan to onboard passport offices in Nigeria and abroad. The plan, it explained, is designed to minimize operational risk, prevent service disruption and ensure scalability.
Phase 1 was completed in January 2025 and covered 7 local offices and 30 foreign missions. States included Plateau, Benue, Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi, Borno and Yobe. Foreign missions included Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Cairo, Dakar, Johannesburg, London, Washington, and others.
Phase 2, completed in March 2026, onboarded 12 local offices and 5 foreign missions. This included Enugu, Awka, Owerri, Umuahia, Abakaliki, FCT Gwagwalada, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ilorin and missions in Rome, Athens, Madrid, Vienna and Berne.
Phase 3, completed in June 2026, covered 17 local offices and 5 foreign missions. It included Benin, Warri, Asaba, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Osogbo, Akure, Ado Ekiti and missions in Paris, Berlin, Brussels and The Hague.
Phase 4 is scheduled for August 2026 and will cover 10 local offices including Gombe, Yola, Jalingo, Bauchi, Kano, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Uyo and Yenagoa. Phase 5, slated for Q4 2026, will cover 5 Lagos offices and 5 major foreign missions including New York, Atlanta, Washington, UK and Canada.
Under the new framework, all passport booklet printing and security personalization have been consolidated into a secure, high-capacity production hub in Abuja. Passports will now be produced and dispatched to offices within a two-week timeframe.
The NIS said the reform eliminates manual intervention in personalization, removes document arbitrage, enhances accountability and guarantees uniform quality with advanced security features in every Nigerian passport.
The Service urged applicants to continue accessing passport services at their preferred offices, adding that it remains committed to technology-driven solutions that improve service delivery in line with international best practices.
