President Bola Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, has defended the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) over its decision to raise the cost of obtaining international passports.

The NIS announced on Thursday, August 28, that beginning September 1, 2025, a 32-page passport with five-year validity will cost ₦100,000, while a 64-page passport with 10-year validity will go for ₦200,000. The revised fees apply only to applications made in Nigeria, while those obtained abroad will remain at $150 and $230, respectively.

According to the NIS, the upward review was necessary to “uphold the quality and integrity of the Nigerian Passport.”

The development has, however, drawn widespread criticism, including from opposition leader Peter Obi, who described the hike as proof of the government’s disconnect from citizens.

Obi wrote on X:

“The obsession of this administration with putting a burden on the populace is becoming legendary and continues to reveal its apparent disconnect with the people and their suffering.

The International Passport fees in Nigeria have now skyrocketed to ₦100,000 for a 32-page booklet and ₦200,000 for 64 pages. This is the third increase in just two years.

In a country where the new minimum wage is only ₦70,000, the cost of a single passport now exceeds a worker’s monthly salary, probably the only country in the world to achieve this feat.”

Responding to the backlash, Ajayi argued that Nigerians have long been paying even higher amounts through unofficial channels.

“Nigerians have always paid more than ₦100k and ₦200k to get the five-year and 10-year passports, in bribes to immigration officers to get their passports out on time,” Ajayi wrote on X.

“The difference now is that the money will go into government coffers for the same express service instead of private pockets.”