Nigeria Now Processes 5,000 Passports in Just Five Hours — Interior Minister

Nigeria’s passport system has just received one of its biggest overhauls in decades, with the federal government announcing that the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) can now produce between 4,500 and 5,000 passports in just five working hours.

Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this breakthrough on Thursday after inspecting the newly commissioned Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS headquarters in Abuja. According to him, the facility represents a historic shift, the first time in the service’s 62-year history that passport production has been fully centralized and modernized.

“This morning, alongside the Permanent Secretary, Dr Magdalene Ajani, and the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nanna Nandap, I inspected the newly built Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre,” Tunji-Ojo said.

“With these strategic infrastructural investments, which came at no additional cost to the government, the NIS can now personalise over 1,000 passports in one hour. In just under five hours, we can now deliver as many as 5,000 passports.” He added.

A Leap in Efficiency

Before this upgrade, the NIS could process an average of only 250 to 300 passports in an entire day, a figure that was grossly inadequate for a country with over 200 million people. The new capacity is expected to drastically reduce the backlog of pending passport applications, some of which have dragged on for months, frustrating citizens in need of urgent travel documents.

For years, applicants have complained of lengthy queues, network failures, and unnecessary bureaucracy at passport offices across the country. The minister said this new system is designed to eliminate those pain points by using state-of-the-art machines that allow for seamless, real-time processing of applications.

“This is not just an upgrade in technology, it is a transformation of the entire process,” Tunji-Ojo explained.

“We have moved from a fragmented, multi-centre model to a single, efficient hub that ensures consistency, speed, and security. It is a major milestone and a turning point for service delivery.”

Since its establishment in 1963, the NIS has operated multiple personalisation centres scattered across the country and abroad. Officials have long argued that the decentralised model contributed to inefficiency, duplication of effort, and delays in getting passports into the hands of applicants.

By consolidating the process into one hub, the government hopes to standardise operations, reduce errors, and improve monitoring and accountability. The minister emphasised that the reform was carried out without extra budgetary allocation — a point he highlighted as evidence of prudent management and strategic partnerships with private sector players.

What This Means for Nigerians

With the new system, passport applications that are fully submitted and approved could now be printed within 24 hours, meaning citizens might receive their passports in days rather than weeks or months. For frequent travellers, students, and businesspeople, this could significantly cut down on stress and missed opportunities.

The minister expressed confidence that the development would restore public trust in the NIS, which has faced criticism over corruption, delays, and inconsistent service quality. He also called on Nigerians to take advantage of the reforms by following proper application procedures and avoiding touts and middlemen.

Looking Ahead

While the centralisation marks a huge leap forward, authorities acknowledge that there may still be teething challenges as the system transitions into full operation. Tunji-Ojo assured the public that the ministry will continue to monitor performance and make adjustments where necessary to ensure the centre runs at optimal capacity.

“This is just the beginning,” he said. “Our goal is to ensure that Nigerians have access to fast, transparent, and reliable passport services anywhere in the world. With this facility, we have brought Nigeria closer to that goal.”

He also noted that further reforms are on the way, including upgrades to biometric data systems, tighter security features on passports, and the eventual automation of more stages of the application process.

For millions of Nigerians, this announcement offers hope that the frustrating era of waiting months for passports might soon become a thing of the past. With the capacity to produce thousands of passports in a single day, the NIS is now better positioned to meet demand, a development that could make international travel less stressful and bring Nigeria closer to global best practices in identity management.

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