The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has achieved a historic milestone by introducing a centralized passport production system, officially ending over six decades of decentralized operations across multiple centres.
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Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this on Thursday during an inspection of the newly established Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja.
According to him, the new system is designed to transform passport processing in Nigeria with a production capacity of between 4,500 and 5,000 passports daily, far above the 250 to 300 capacity of the old machines. With this leap in technology, the NIS can now meet daily demand within just four to five hours of operation.
The centralized system is expected to deliver uniformity, improve efficiency, and strengthen the integrity of Nigerian travel documents, making it a significant shift in passport processing.
Nigerians are expected to benefit from faster passport delivery timelines. While the government initially targeted two weeks, Dr. Tunji-Ojo revealed that automation has cut processing time down to one week, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s broader reform agenda for public service delivery.
He added that the new system aligns with international best practices. Nigeria’s upgraded passport infrastructure now meets global standards comparable to those of the United States, United Kingdom, France, and India.
The country has also fully migrated to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Public Key Directory, guaranteeing worldwide authentication of Nigerian passports.
