Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Northern Caucus of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has dismissed claims that the Federal Government's ongoing passport centralisation reform is designed to sideline or disenfranchise Northern Nigeria, describing such allegations as false, misleading, and politically motivated. The students' body said the passport centralisation programme being implemented by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) is a nationwide operational reform aimed at improving security, efficiency, and service delivery, rather than a regional agenda.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, August 6, 2026, the National Vice President (External Affairs) of NANS, Comrade Sadiq Zango, who read a prepared text on behalf of the caucus, said the group was compelled to address growing public concerns following enquiries from passport applicants and stakeholders across the affected northern states. He urged Nigerians, particularly residents of the North-East and North-West, to ignore what he described as "deliberate falsehood, propaganda and misinformation" surrounding the exercise. "We have considered it imperative to sensitise our comrades, brothers and sisters, and the entire population of northern Nigeria on the deliberate falsehood, propaganda and misinformation being peddled by some mischievous elements regarding the ongoing implementation of the Passport Centralisation Programme in the Nigeria Immigration Service," Zango stated.
According to NANS, the migration of passport production to the Central Personalisation Centre in Abuja does not stop passport processing or issuance at any passport office across the country or at Nigerian embassies and consulates abroad. Instead, the initiative forms part of a comprehensive modernisation programme designed to strengthen the security, integrity, and efficiency of Nigeria's passport issuance system. "The migration is purely operational and does not in any way halt passport processing and issuance at any passport office within Nigeria or at designated Nigerian embassies and consulates abroad. Rather, it is part of a broader modernisation programme aimed at strengthening the security, integrity and efficiency of Nigeria's passport issuance system," Zango explained.
The student body disclosed that the NIS had adopted a phased implementation strategy, with phases one to three already completed between February 2025 and 2026, covering passport offices in the North-Central, South-East and South-West regions, except Lagos, as well as 41 Nigerian missions across Africa, Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Oceania. Phase four, scheduled for August 2026, will onboard the remaining passport offices in the South-South, North-East and North-West, including Calabar, Port Harcourt, Uyo, Yenagoa, Bauchi, Gombe, Jalingo, Yola, Farm Centre Kano and Dawakin Kudu Kano. "It is therefore far from the truth to suggest that the Federal Government is attempting to disenfranchise the North or any part of the country through this process," the statement said.
Under the new operational framework, passport booklet printing and security personalisation have been consolidated into a secure, high-capacity production hub in Abuja to ensure passport production is completed within two weeks. NANS stressed that passport offices nationwide would continue to receive applications, process requests and issue passports as before. The centralised system is expected to eliminate manual interference in passport personalisation, curb document fraud, strengthen accountability, and ensure uniform quality and advanced security features in Nigerian passports. "From our independent findings, all passport booklet printing and security personalisation have now been consolidated into a secure, centralised and high-capacity production hub in Abuja. This will ensure passports are produced within a two-week timeframe without unnecessary delays. The reform is designed to eliminate manual interventions, remove document arbitrage, enhance accountability and guarantee uniform quality standards with advanced security features embedded in every Nigerian passport," Zango said.
Expressing confidence in the Nigeria Immigration Service, NANS said the agency remains committed to deploying technology-driven solutions that align Nigeria's passport system with global best practices. The association appealed to Northerners to remain calm and disregard rumours capable of creating tension. Zango urged northerners to ignore rumours surrounding the reform, assuring them that the changes would ultimately produce a more secure and internationally respected Nigerian passport. The clarification comes amid heightened political tensions ahead of the 2027 general elections, with some groups alleging that the centralisation of passport production could create bottlenecks for applicants in the North, a claim the student body has now firmly rejected.
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