Hot SourceMichael Olugbode in Abuja
The Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has announced that Nigeria’s first Centralised Passport Personalisation and Production Centre is now completed and ready to be deployed to end the challenges facing the nation’s passport issuance process.
Speaking at the tour of facility at the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, the minister described the acquisition of the facility as a landmark moment in the ongoing reform aimed at transforming the country’s passport issuance system and eliminating backlogs permanently.
He said the project represents one of the boldest steps by the administration of President Bola Tinubu to modernise the NIS and align it with global best practices.
According to him, unlike in the past when passports were personalised across 96 locations in Nigeria and the diaspora, the new centralised model consolidates production into a single hub for efficiency, quality assurance and uniformity.
He noted that: “Nigeria is now in the league of countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, India and Bangladesh that run centralised passport personalisation centres,” stressing that: “This is a big win for the government and a major shift towards efficiency and reliability.”
The new facility, built in partnership with IRISMAT Technologies Limited, deploys advanced machines capable of producing up to 1,000 passports per hour—a massive leap from the previous Iskra machines which only produced 250–300 passports per day.
With this capacity, the NIS can now produce between 4,500 and 5,000 passports daily, enabling Nigerians to receive approved passports within 24 hours to one week.
Tunji-Ojo said: “This centre puts an end to the era of backlogs and delays. When this administration came on board, we inherited over 204,000 pending applications. That chapter is now closed. Everything is automated and efficient, ensuring Nigerians get value for their money.”
He highlighted other key reforms achieved under the current administration to include: Migration to a single passport series – eliminating the old dual “A and B” series system to strengthen document integrity; Diaspora coverage – ensuring all missions abroad now issue the enhanced B-series passport; Global authentication compliance, which means Nigeria has been fully integrated into the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)‘s Public Key Directory (PKD), boosting international acceptance of its travel documents.
According to him, “These reforms ensure that no two Nigerians carry different passport types, enhance global trust in our documents, and position Nigeria as a serious player in global travel systems.”
The minister credited the project’s success to strong collaboration between government, the NIS and IRISMAT Technologies Limited.
He emphasised that the facility was not funded directly from government coffers but through a strategic partnership designed to deliver value.
He also expressed gratitude to President Tinubu, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, the Comptroller-General of Immigration, and all NIS officers who worked tirelessly to deliver what he called “a career and time-defining project”.
Responding to concerns about how the project will impact citizens, the minister assured Nigerians that the centralisation will drastically reduce waiting time for new passports and changes of data.
He said: “We promised two weeks, but we are working towards one week. With this centre, Nigerians no longer have to wait endlessly. What matters most is service efficiency and this project guarantees that.”
He described the project as historic, noting that since the establishment of the Immigration Service in 1963, Nigeria had never built such a facility.
“With this centre, Nigeria now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with advanced nations in the management of travel documents. It is a legacy project that will define the future of our passport system,” he said.
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