Olusegun Ariyo
A public issues analyst, Justice Osai Ahiakwo, has faulted the recent hike in the cost of obtaining Nigerian international passports.
He described it as an “economic somersault” that undermines the Federal Government’s promises to ease the suffering of citizens.
Speaking to Newsmen in Calabar, Ahiakwo said the increase, which now pegs a 32-page passport at N100,000 and a 64-page booklet at N200,000, amounts to “a reintroduction of taxes at the detriment of the people.”
He recalled that under President Tinubu’s administration, passport fees had already risen within a year, moving from N35,000 to N50,000 for the 32-page passport and from N70,000 to N100,000 for the 64-page option.
The latest increase by NIS sparked outrage among Nigerians, with many lamenting that it further shuts the door on ordinary citizens who struggle to afford international travel documents for education, business, or medical reasons.
Critics further argue that the increase exacerbates inequality and widens the gap between the privileged few and the masses.
Ahiakwo argued that “It is disheartening that such increases are being implemented without statutory backing.”
The lawyer insisted that the Immigration Act does not empower the Nigeria Immigration Service or the Minister of Interior to unilaterally raise fees.
According to him, the decision to alter passport charges should be a matter for the National Assembly, just as it is in other democracies, such as the United Kingdom, where parliament approved the latest passport fee hike, and the United States, where Congress oversees the Department of State’s pricing decisions.
“The Immigration Service, as an agent of the executive, cannot on its own determine what Nigerians should pay for passports. The legislature must rise to the occasion and call them to order,” Ahiakwo said.
He urged lawmakers to summon the Minister of Interior or the Comptroller-General of Immigration to explain the basis for the hike, warning that unless checked, such “arbitrariness” would continue to impose untold hardship on Nigerians.
