Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has revealed the arrest of a Ugandan woman at Lagos Airport after she paid $1,000 to illegally obtain a Nigerian international passport.
Speaking on Thursday at the Ministry of Interior’s mid-tenure performance retreat in Abuja, Tunji-Ojo described the incident as a stark example of the widespread abuse that once plagued Nigeria’s passport issuance process prior to ongoing reforms.
“A Ugandan woman carrying a Nigerian passport was arrested at Lagos Airport after paying $1,000 to obtain it,” he said. “That cannot continue. Our passport must remain a true symbol of Nigerian identity.”
The minister blamed the problem on systemic corruption, weak oversight, and excessive powers previously held by Passport Control Officers (PCOs), who he said could delay or deny approvals unless they were bribed.
“There was a time when PCOs wielded too much power and exploited the system for personal gain. That abuse of power ends now,” he stated.
Tunji-Ojo said the federal government has now implemented significant reforms, including removing approval powers from PCOs and centralising the process to minimise human interference.
His remarks came alongside the government’s announcement of new passport fees, effective September 1, 2025. Under the revised rates, a 32-page passport with five-year validity will cost N100,000, while the 64-page, 10-year version will cost N200,000 for applicants within Nigeria.
