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| Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo. |
The federal government has referred to the newly completed Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre in Abuja as a “big win” for the nation and the first of its kind in the 62-year existence of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who inspected the large-scale passport data personalisation facility at the NIS Headquarters, stated that the centre would cut down response time, as passports could now be printed within 24 hours and delivered within one week.
Dr Tunji-Ojo, who was joined by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Magdalene Ajani, and the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nanna Nandap, observed that the centre brings Nigeria in line with advanced countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, India, and Bangladesh in implementing a centralised passport personalisation system, a global standard that ensures quality, integrity, and operational efficiency.
He clarified that the facility’s advanced infrastructure would transform passport production by increasing output from 250–300 booklets per machine daily to over 4,500–5,000 passports each day, with approved passports ready for collection within 24 hours.
“The era of backlogs and manual personalisation is over. Nigerians can now expect faster, more reliable service as we strengthen the integrity of our travel documents,” the minister stated.
He explained that the new approach ends the former method in which passports were personalised at around 96 centres both within Nigeria and overseas, a system he described as “vulnerable and inefficient”.
“Centralisation is a global best practice because it ensures higher quality, better control, and greater efficiency. We promised Nigerians that we would centralise passport personalisation and production, and I am pleased to announce that this project is now 100 per cent ready.”
The minister disclosed that while the previous machines were limited to processing 250–300 passports per machine daily, the upgraded facility is now capable of producing approximately 1,000 passports per hour, enabling the NIS to issue between 4,500 and 5,000 passports during a regular workday.
“This means applicants whose requests are approved can now expect their passports to be printed within 24 hours,” he added.
In discussing additional reforms, Dr Tunji-Ojo announced that Nigeria's two passport series have now been unified into a single system, supported by the technical partner Iris Smart Technologies.
The minister also reminded the public that Nigeria has fully adopted the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Public Key Directory, which enables global authentication of travel documents.
“With this, the integrity and global credibility of our passport have been significantly strengthened,” he said.
The minister further pointed out that the government had inherited a backlog of 204,000 passport applications but assured that the new system removes such delays by automating the personalisation process and limiting human involvement.
“This project ensures that the era of backlogs is over. Officers no longer have to work around the clock to clear piles of applications. The system is now seamless, fast, and accountable,” he assured.
Dr Tunji-Ojo expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his continuous support, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, the Comptroller-General of Immigration, NIS personnel, and the technical partners for their contributions towards the successful delivery of the project.
He emphasised that improvements in the service directly benefit citizens by reducing passport processing times from several weeks to just a few hours. “We promised two weeks’ delivery; we are already working towards achieving one week or less,” he said.
According to the minister, the centralised personalisation facility represents a key achievement in the government’s broader reforms to improve service delivery, enhance efficiency, and strengthen national identity management.
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