Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the minister of Interior, says the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has ended passport production at multiple centres while transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Tunji-Ojo spoke in Abuja on Thursday during the inspection of Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters.
The minister said since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre which marked a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 percent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” he said.
He noted that the old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, adding that the new system has a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
He described the innovation as a game changer for passport processing in Nigeria, saying “NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation”.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week,” the minister added.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians.”
He emphasised that centralisation would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide in line with global standards.
Tunji-Ojo stressed that the development is a step towards bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
He said the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for better service delivery.
