Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has debunked as baseless an online report claiming that a specific region of the country has been disqualified from passport issuance.
The Service in a statement by its spokesman, DCI AS Akinlabi, categorically saif the report is entirely false and a gross misrepresentation of the ongoing government reforms to modernize passport administration.
DCI Akinlabi said the reality is that NIS has introduced a phased onboarding system to migrate passport offices including those in foreign missions to a centralized production framework.
According to him, this modernization effort, which began in 2024, is designed to enhance the efficiency, integrity and the security of Nigeria’s passport production system and not exclude any citizen.
“The Service has successfully onboarded passport offices in the North East and North Central states of Borno, Yobe, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau, along with 35 international stations spread across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America.
“Furthermore, scheduled migration for the five South East states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo; and five additional international stations (Italy, Greece, Spain, Switzerland and Austria) is currently ongoing within the first quarter of 2026.
“Consequently, the service has established a strict work-plan calendar to ensure this transition is seamless and does not disrupt delivery timelines as the goal is to drive the process towards greater efficiency.
The NIS spokesman, therefore, advised the public to disregard speculative narratives capable of creating unnecessary tension, as the Service continues to implement reforms in the overall national interest.
“Nigeria Immigration Service remains committed to equitable service delivery and operational excellence”, he said.