By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Nigeria Immigration Service has moved to allay public fears over its ongoing Passport Centralisation Reform, insisting that the migration of passport production to the Central Personalisation Centre in Abuja does not in any way stop the processing and issuance of passports at any passport office within the country or at designated Nigerian embassies and consulates abroad.
The clarification was contained in a press release issued by the service, following public enquiries and misconceptions arising from the phased migration of production in passport offices across all six geopolitical zones of the country to the centre at the Service Headquarters, Abuja.
The service explained that the migration was purely operational and formed part of a broader modernisation programme aimed at strengthening the security, integrity and efficiency of Nigeria’s passport issuance system.
“The Service unequivocally states that the migration of production in passport offices to the Central Personalisation Centre is purely operational and does not in any way stop the processing and issuance of passport at any passport office within the country or at designated Nigeria’s Embassies and Consulates abroad,” the statement read.
According to the release, the NIS adopted a five-phase migration implementation plan for onboarding offices at home and abroad, a strategy aimed at minimising operational risk, service disruption and ensuring scalability.
Giving a breakdown, the service disclosed that Phase One, completed in January 2025, covered 37 branches, comprising five in the North Central (Plateau, Benue, Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi) and two in the North East (Borno, Yobe), alongside 12 in Africa, four in the Middle East, four in Europe, seven in Asia, two in the Americas and one in Oceania.
Phase Two, completed in March 2026, covered 17 branches across the South East, FCT, South West and Europe. Phase Three, completed in June 2026, covered 22 branches across the South South, North West, South West and Europe.
The service disclosed that Phase Four, scheduled for August 2026, would cover the North East zone, comprising Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba and Bauchi states.
The NIS assured Nigerians that the phased approach was designed to ensure a seamless transition while sustaining nationwide service delivery across its offices and foreign missions throughout the reform’s implementation.
