By Newspot Nigeria News Desk
The Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy & Development (FENRAD), Nigeria, has strongly criticized the recent increase in international passport fees by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), calling it “unjust, economically insensitive, and anti-people.”
According to the new policy, effective September 1, 2025, the 32-page passport now costs ₦100,000 while the 64-page option is pegged at ₦200,000. FENRAD argued that the move comes at a time when Nigerians are already enduring historic inflation of 33.7%, soaring food and energy costs, and high unemployment levels.
The group stressed that with the national minimum wage still officially at ₦70,000—and largely unpaid or unimplemented across many states—the hike effectively shuts ordinary Nigerians out of access to passports, which are essential for business, education, health, and migration. “A passport is not a luxury—it is a legal document and civic right,” the statement noted.
FENRAD also highlighted how Nigeria now has one of the steepest passport costs relative to income worldwide. By its comparison, South Africans spend about 13% of their monthly minimum wage to obtain a passport, Americans 14%, and Germans just 3.5%. In Nigeria, the new fee amounts to over 143% of the minimum wage—an anomaly the group described as “morally unacceptable.”
The organization warned that the policy risks deepening inequality by creating a “mobility divide” between the wealthy and the poor. It further argued that it undermines Nigeria’s commitments under international conventions that guarantee the right to freedom of movement.
FENRAD is calling on the Federal Government, the National Assembly, and the Ministry of Interior to immediately reverse the hike, suspend any future adjustments pending public consultation, and introduce an income-sensitive model pegging passport fees to not more than 10% of the minimum wage. The group also demanded subsidies or waivers for students, low-income earners, and the elderly, while urging authorities to focus on improving service delivery and tackling corruption within the Immigration Service instead of burdening citizens.
The group concluded by appealing to civil society, labour unions, diaspora organizations, and media stakeholders to join forces in rejecting the policy. It also tasked the National Assembly Committees on Interior and Diaspora to urgently investigate the rationale behind the hike.
FENRAD’s Executive Director, Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, signed the statement, emphasizing that government policies must always put people first, especially during a time of economic crisis.
Newspot Nigeria
Full Statement
FOUNDATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS ADVOCACY & DEVELOPMENT (FENRAD) NIGERIA
Press Release
Date: September 7, 2025
Location: Abuja, Nigeria State, Nigeria
Contact:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +2348033383708, 07062949232
Website: www.fenrad.org.ng
FENRAD Nigeria Decries Exorbitant Passport Fee Hike, Demands Immediate Reversal
Calls Attention to Soaring Inflation and Economic Hardship
The Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy & Development (FENRAD), Nigeria, strongly condemns the recent increase in Nigerian international passport fees by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), which took effect on September 1, 2025. This steep hike, which now pegs the cost of a 32-page passport at ₦100,000 and the 64-page at ₦200,000, is unjust, economically insensitive, and anti-people.
At a time when millions of Nigerians are struggling under the weight of historic inflation (currently 33.7%), rising food and energy costs, and widespread unemployment, this decision represents yet another assault on the economic dignity and mobility rights of citizens.
Economic Hardship Must Not Be Ignored
The Federal Government’s justification—that the increase is needed to uphold the quality and security of Nigerian passports—rings hollow when weighed against the realities of everyday Nigerians. With the minimum wage still officially at ₦70,000, and yet largely unpaid or unimplemented across many states and sectors, this fee hike is both exploitative and exclusionary.
A passport is not a luxury—it is a legal document and civic right, essential for business, education, health, and migration. Making it unaffordable for the average Nigerian is tantamount to economic disenfranchisement.
Global Comparison Exposes Nigerian Anomaly
FENRAD notes that Nigeria now has one of the highest passport fees relative to income globally:
- In South Africa, a passport costs about 13% of monthly minimum wage.
- In the United States, it’s just 14%.
- In Germany, 3.5%.
- In Nigeria, the cost is over 143% of monthly minimum wage.
This is not only unprecedented but morally unacceptable in a nation where basic needs remain unmet, and essential public services are underfunded.
A Regressive Policy That Punishes the Poor
The effect of this fee hike is to further entrench inequality by creating a mobility divide—where only the wealthy can afford to obtain passports, while the poor are effectively locked within the borders of poverty.
Such a policy undermines Nigeria’s international commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which upholds the right to freedom of movement, including the right to leave one’s country.
Our Demands
FENRAD hereby calls on the Federal Government, the National Assembly, and the Ministry of Interior to:
- Immediately reverse the new passport fees to their previous rates;
- Suspend all future adjustments pending comprehensive public consultation;
- Institute a transparent, income-sensitive pricing model that ties passport fees to the prevailing minimum wage (recommended: not more than 10%);
- Improve service delivery and digitization, not through cost burdens but through efficiency and anti-corruption measures within the NIS;
- Provide subsidies or waivers for students, low-income earners, and the elderly.
Conclusion: People First, Always
Government policies must always reflect the welfare and economic realities of the people. In the midst of rising inflation, collapsing purchasing power, and social unrest, this fee hike sends the wrong signal and must not stand.
FENRAD urges all civil society actors, labour unions, diaspora organizations, and media stakeholders to join voices in demanding a just and people-centered passport policy.
We also call on the National Assembly Committees on Interior and Diaspora to urgently investigate the rationale behind this hike and ensure that no Nigerian is priced out of their fundamental right to travel.
Signed:
Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor
Executive Director
Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy & Development (FENRAD), Nigeria
“Protecting Rights, Defending the Poor, Advancing Justice”
