Obi slams FG, says cost of passport should not be higher than minimum wage

MaTaZ ArIsInG
Dallas, Texas

Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has slammed the Federal Government following its recent announcement of an increase in Nigerian international passport application fees.

Obi, in a statement posted Friday on X, condemned the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) for hiking passport application fees to ₦100,000 for the 32-page booklet and ₦200,000 for the 64-page version, calling the development “alarming.”

Obi also described the passport hike as a “burden on the populace” and a sign of the administration’s “disconnect with the people.”

“The obsession of President Bola Tinubu’s administration with putting a burden on the populace is becoming legendary, noting that the passport fees hike is the third fee hike in two years,” Obi stated.

He also argued that the cost of a passport now exceeds the newly approved minimum wage of ₦70,000, a situation he said is unprecedented globally and that Nigeria is probably the only country in the world to achieve this feat.

“The obsession of this administration with putting a burden on the populace is becoming legendary and continues to reveal its apparent disconnect with the people and the suffering,” Obi wrote.

“The International Passport fees in Nigeria have now skyrocketed to ₦100,000 for a 32-page booklet and ₦200,000 for 64 pages. This is the third increase in just two years.

“In a country where the new minimum wage is only ₦70,000, the cost of a single passport now exceeds a worker’s monthly salary, probably the only country in the world to achieve this feat.

“Instead of making life easier, this government keeps shifting the burden onto ordinary Nigerians. It is alarming that the price of the international passport is higher than what workers earn in a month.”

The Nigeria Immigration Service on Thursday announced the new pricing structure, which is set to take effect from September 1, 2025.

According to a statement by NIS spokesperson ACI AS Akinlabi, the adjustment applies only to passport applications made within Nigeria.

“In a bid to uphold the quality and integrity of the Nigerian Passport, the Nigeria Immigration Service hereby announces an upward review of Nigerian Standard Passport fees, set to take effect on 1st September 2025,” NIS stated.

“The review, which only affects passport application fees made in Nigeria, now sets new fee thresholds: for the 32-page with five-year validity at ₦100,000, and 64-page with 10-year validity at ₦200,000.”

However, NIS also announced that passport application fees for Nigerians in the diaspora remain unchanged.

It stated that applicants abroad will continue to pay $150 for the 32-page, five-year validity passport, and $230 for the 64-page, 10-year validity passport.

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