The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Friday said the increase in passport fees was induced by the dwindling fortune of the naira against hard currencies, particularly the dollar.
Remember that in August, the Nigerian Immigration Service announced an upward review of the Nigerian Standard Passport fees by about 45 percent.
As a result, a 32-page passport booklet with five-year validity, previously charged at N35,000, now costs N50,000, while a 64-page passport booklet with 10-year validity, which was N70,000, now costs N100,000.
Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja to mark his first year in office, the minister said it’s improper for government to subsidise passport fees for Nigerians, adding that the price hike does not affect Nigerians in diaspora.
According to him, “The increase in passport fees is a matter of cost-benefit analysis, especially when you consider the exchange rate between the dollar and the naira. If the government were to subsidise anything, I don’t think it should be passports. The increase is just from N35,000 to N50,000 — only about 45 per cent. There has been no increase for Nigerians abroad.”
