Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Nigeria Immigration Service has clarified the ongoing implementation of its Passport Centralization Reform following public enquiries and misconceptions arising from the phased migration of production in passport offices across all the six (6) geopolitical zones in the country to the Central Personalization Centre, Service Headquarters, Abuja. This was contained in a statement signed by DCI Akinsola Akinlabi, Service Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Immigration Service Headquarters, Abuja.
The statement reads: “The Service unequivocally state that 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. It forms part of a broader modernization Programme aimed at strengthening the security, integrity, and efficiency of Nigeria’s passport issuance system.
“For the record, the Service adopts a five (5) phase migration implementation plan for onboarding passport offices within the country and designated Nigeria’s Embassies and Consulates abroad aimed at minimizing operational risk, service disruption and ensuring scalability. The Breakdown is as follows:
“PHASE 1- JANUARY 2025 (COMPLETED)
Sn
Region/Zone
States / Countries / Branches
No.
North Central
Plateau (Jos); Benue (Makurdi); Niger (Minna); Nasarawa (Lafia); Kogi (Lokoja)
5
North East
Borno (Maiduguri); Yobe (Damaturu)
2
Africa
Côte d’Ivoire (Abidjan); Ethiopia (Addis Ababa); Egypt (Cairo); Senegal (Dakar); South Africa (Johannesburg); Tanzania (Dar es Salaam); Cameroon (Douala); Liberia (Monrovia); Benin (Cotonou); Uganda (Kampala); Kenya (Nairobi); Sudan (Khartoum)
12
Middle East
UAE (Abu Dhabi); Türkiye (Ankara); Saudi Arabia (Jeddah); Israel (Tel Aviv)
4
Europe
Ireland (Dublin); Ukraine (Kyiv); Russia (Moscow); Sweden (Stockholm)
4
Asia
Thailand (Bangkok); China (Beijing); Hong Kong; Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur); India (New Delhi); South Korea (Seoul); Japan (Tokyo)
7
Americas
Brazil (Brasilia); Jamaica (Kingston)
2
Oceania
Australia (Canberra)
1
Total
Local: 7 | Foreign: 30
37
PHASE 2 – MARCH 2026 (COMPLETED)
SN
Region/Zone
States / Countries / Branches
No.
South East
Enugu; Anambra (Awka); Imo (Owerri); Abia (Umuahia); Ebonyi (Abakaliki)
5
North Central
FCT (Gwagwalada)
1
South West
Oyo (Ibadan, Oyo); Ogun (Abeokuta, Sagamu); Kwara (Ilorin, Offa)
6
Europe
Italy (Rome); Greece (Athens); Spain (Madrid); Austria (Vienna); Switzerland (Berne)
5
Total
Local: 12 | Foreign: 5
17
PHASE 3- JUNE 2026 (COMPLETED)
SN
Region/Zone
States / Countries / Branches
No.
South South
Edo (Benin, Auchi); Delta (Asaba, Warri)
4
North West
Sokoto; Kebbi (Birnin Kebbi); Zamfara (Gusau); Katsina (Katsina, Daura); Jigawa (Dutse); Kaduna (Kaduna, Zaria)
8
South West
Osun (Osogbo, Ilesha); Ondo (Akure, Ile Oluji); Ekiti (Ado Ekiti)
5
Europe
France (Paris); Germany (Berlin, Frankfurt); Belgium (Brussels); Netherlands (The Hague)
5
Total
Local: 17 | Foreign: 5
22
PHASE 4- AUGUST 2026 (SCHEDULED)
SN
Region/Zone
States / Countries / Branches
No.
North East
Gombe (Gombe); Adamawa (Yola); Taraba (Jalingo); Bauchi (Bauchi)
4
North West
Kano (Kano, Dawakin Kudu)
2
South South
Rivers (Port Harcourt); Cross River (Calabar); Akwa Ibom (Uyo); Bayelsa (Yenagoa)
4
Total
Local Ready: 10 | Foreign: 0
10
PHASE 5- (SCHEDULED TO BE COMPLETED BY LAST QUARTER OF 2026)
SN
Region/Zone
States / Countries / Branches
No.
South- West
Lagos (Ikoyi, Festac, Alausa, Alimosho, Ikorodu)
5
Foreign
US (New York, Atlanta, DC Washington) UK, Canada
5
Total
Local: 5 |Foreign: 0
10
“Under the new operational framework, all passport booklets printing and security personalization have been consolidated into a secure, centralized, and high-capacity production hub in the Service Headquarters Abuja, ensuring passports are produced and dispatched to passport offices across the country and diaspora within a two-week timeframe. Passport offices in the country and designated Nigeria’s Embassies and Consulates will continue to function as passport processing and issuance offices.
“The reforms eliminates manual intervention in the personalization process, removes document arbitrage, enhances accountability, guarantees uniform quality standards including advanced security features embedded in every Nigerian passport. Applicants should therefore continue to access passport services at their preferred passport offices as usual.
“Nigeria Immigration Service remains committed to deploying technology-driven solutions that improve service delivery while safeguarding the integrity of Nigeria’s passport system in line with international best practices, ” it also added.
END
