The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has called on President Bola Tinubu to instruct the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nanna Nandap, to immediately withdraw what it described as “arbitrary, unlawful, unjustified, and excessive” passport fees ranging between N100,000 and N200,000.
The NIS had, on Thursday, 28 August 2025, announced that beginning September 1, applications filed in Nigeria would attract new charges of N100,000 for a 32-page passport with five-year validity and N200,000 for a 64-page passport with 10-year validity.
The new tariff, which comes just a year after a similar hike in September 2024, has been met with stiff criticism.
In a letter dated 30 August 2025 and signed by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP stated, “The unlawfully high fees amount to a discriminatory denial of access to a passport to millions of socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians and unlawful restrictions of their other citizenship rights.”
The organisation added, “Millions of disadvantaged Nigerians cannot realistically afford to pay the increased fees. These Nigerians should not be forced to spend their limited and grossly inadequate income to pay the increased fees instead of spending it on their basic living needs.”
According to SERAP, the authorities have a duty to comply with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and the country’s international human rights obligations in carrying out their roles.
The letter further noted, “The increased fees will hit hardest those at the bottom of the economy. The Minister of Interior and the Comptroller General of the NIS have a legal responsibility to ensure an appropriate balance between the imposition of excessive passport fees on citizens and the safeguarding of citizens’ rights.”
It stressed that Nigerians unable to pay the new charges would be deprived of the full enjoyment of their constitutional rights, including the right to obtain travel documents and freedom of movement.
SERAP also stated, “The unreasonable and disproportionate increase in passport fees is incompatible with the provisions of chapters 2 and 4 of the Nigerian Constitution covering fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy and fundamental rights.”
Highlighting the financial strain on citizens, the group maintained, “The excessive fees would also result in disproportionate financial burdens on poor Nigerians. The Minister of Interior and the Comptroller General of the NIS failed to assess the effects of the excessive fees in light of the poor financial conditions of millions of Nigerians and the growing economic challenges in the country.”
It argued further that the move was unlawful, “The Minister of Interior and the Comptroller General of the NIS acted unlawfully when they arbitrarily increased the passport fees. The Minister of Interior and the Comptroller General of the NIS have rendered nugatory Nigerians’ fundamental rights by impermissibly and unlawfully increasing the passport fees.”
SERAP warned that if the government fails to reverse the hike within seven days of receiving or publishing the letter, it would “take all appropriate legal actions to compel your government, the Minister and Comptroller General to comply with our request in the public interest.”
According to the group, “The unlawful increase in passport fees at a time the country is facing economic and financial crises would contribute further to the impoverishment of the population.”
It added, “The increased fees would also violate Nigerians’ right to travel or leave their country including the right to obtain the necessary travel documents. The Minister of Interior and the Comptroller General of the NIS have failed to sufficiently justify the increased fees.”
SERAP insisted that the increment is discriminatory, stressing, “The increase is discriminatory as it would undermine the effective enjoyment of citizens’ fundamental rights as guaranteed under the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Nigeria is a state party.”
The group recalled that the new increment follows last year’s adjustment, when the cost of a 32-page passport rose from N35,000 to N50,000, while the 64-page 10-year booklet was increased from N70,000 to N100,000.
