Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has led an inspection of the newly completed Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre in Abuja, the first of its kind in the 62-year history of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
The state-of-the-art facility, described by the Minister as a “big win for Nigerians,” marks Nigeria’s entry into the global league of countries like the U.S., U.K., France, and India that have adopted centralised personalisation systems.
The centre is aimed radically transform passport production, boosting output from just 250–300 booklets per machine daily to an astonishing 4,500–5,000 — with approved passports ready for collection within 24 hours.
Speaking Thursday in Abuja during an inspection to the Centre, Dr. Tunji-Ojo said the era of backlogs and manual processes is over.
The Minister added that Nigerians can now expect faster, more reliable, and globally trusted passports.
Tunji-Ojo, who was accompanied by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, and the Comptroller General of Immigration, Kemi Nanna Nandap, expressed satisfaction on the ongoing reform in the NIS.
Key highlights of the reform include: A single, uniform passport series to eliminate discrepancies, Full integration into the ICAO Public Key Directory (PKD), ensuring global authentication of Nigerian passports, deployment of the new system across all passport offices and Nigerian missions abroad.
The minister credited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for providing political will and support, commended the dedication of officers of the Interior Ministry and NIS, and lauded IRIS Smart Technologies Ltd., the government’s technical partner, for delivering the project without a direct draw from public funds.
“This project is not just about passports, it is about building enduring institutions that work for Nigerians,” he said.
The federal government, however, reaffirmed its commitment to modernising Nigeria’s identity infrastructure, eliminating inefficiencies, and restoring confidence in the Nigerian passport worldwide.
