Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Nigeria Immigration Service has enrolled 8,552 Nigerians living in the diaspora in a series of targeted passport intervention exercises conducted across the United States, Canada, Qatar and the United Kingdom, in what officials describe as a direct response to the persistent backlog of applications and the logistical difficulties Nigerians abroad face in renewing or obtaining travel documents. The disclosure was made on Monday, September 21, 2026, in a statement signed by the Service Public Relations Officer, DCI Akinsola Akinlabi, who said the exercises were undertaken on the directive of the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, as part of efforts to bring passport services closer to Nigerians in the diaspora and improve overall service delivery.
The figures reveal the scale of demand and the reach of the intervention. In the United States, 535 Nigerians were enrolled across Chicago, Michigan and Milwaukee between September 7 and 15, 2026. Canada recorded the highest turnout among completed exercises, with 2,257 Nigerians enrolled in Manitoba, Toronto, Saskatoon, Alberta and New Brunswick between September 6 and 19. Qatar saw 751 Nigerians enrolled during an exercise conducted between August 9 and 24. The United Kingdom, where the exercise is still ongoing, has so far recorded 5,099 enrolments in London and Manchester, bringing the cumulative total across all four countries to 8,552. The NIS said passport production and dispatch are being carried out concurrently in the UK to ensure timely delivery of documents to applicants.
The intervention exercises were conducted in collaboration with Nigerian diplomatic missions and representatives of Nigerian communities in the affected countries, a coordinated approach that the NIS said was designed to ensure a responsive and accessible service delivery process. The exercises aimed to clear backlogs involving fresh applications, renewals and other pending passport cases, and to provide Nigerians in the diaspora with options beyond travelling to embassies or high commissions. The NIS encouraged applicants who were unable to secure appointment slots during the exercise, as well as those who may prefer not to visit enrolment centres physically, to utilise the Contactless Passport Application System, which remains fully operational alongside the existing home delivery service.
The UK exercise has attracted particular attention. It was initially scheduled to end on September 19, 2026, but was extended to October 3 following a high turnout of applicants in London and Manchester. According to the NIS, 1,477 Nigerians were successfully processed and enrolled within the first four days of the exercise in the UK alone. The extension was approved by the Minister of Interior, who had earlier deployed a dedicated Passport Intervention Team from NIS headquarters to the United Kingdom on August 10, 2026, to work with the Nigerian High Commission in clearing pending, new and renewal passport applications. That earlier deployment had advised applicants with pending applications, new applicants, and holders of passports with less than one year to expiry to prepare their completed forms and proof of payment ahead of enrolment.
The intervention exercises represent a significant escalation of the Federal Government’s efforts to address the passport challenges that have long frustrated Nigerians abroad. In March 2026, the Ministry of Interior disclosed that it had cleared a backlog of over 204,000 passport applications within two and a half weeks, introduced a contactless passport renewal system for Nigerians in the diaspora, and established Nigeria’s first centralised passport personalisation centre in Abuja to strengthen passport security. The current exercises build on those reforms, extending the government’s reach to cities that lack Nigerian diplomatic missions and where applicants would otherwise have to travel long distances to enrol their biometrics.
The initiative has not been without controversy. In early September 2026, reports emerged that the Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom had imposed an extra administrative fee of £150 on citizens to facilitate the ongoing passport intervention, despite the NIS providing the service free of charge. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, swiftly clarified that the Federal Government was not charging any fees beyond the official passport fees of $150 for a five-year passport and $230 for a ten-year passport, excluding applicable bank charges. He said the intervention exercise was introduced to provide more options for Nigerians in the UK to process their applications and assured that efforts were underway to address the challenges associated with the exercise. The clarification was necessary to prevent applicants from being exploited by unauthorised intermediaries.
For the 8,552 Nigerians who have enrolled so far, the intervention represents a tangible relief from a process that has historically been slow, opaque and geographically inconvenient. Many diaspora Nigerians have waited months, sometimes years, for passports to be renewed or issued, with consequences for their ability to travel, work and maintain legal status in their countries of residence. The contactless application system, which allows applicants to complete biometric enrolment through the NIS Mobile App without visiting an embassy or high commission, has been positioned as a longer-term solution to the backlog problem. Since its launch, the system has processed and issued over 15,000 passports to Nigerians abroad, according to NIS figures.
The exercises also reflect a broader shift in how the Nigerian government engages with its diaspora. The collaboration with Nigerian community representatives in the United States, Canada, Qatar and the United Kingdom suggests a recognition that diaspora populations are not merely recipients of consular services but partners in the delivery process. By working with community leaders to identify locations, mobilise applicants and manage logistics, the NIS has been able to extend its reach beyond the traditional embassy and high commission network. That model could be replicated in other regions with significant Nigerian populations, including the Middle East, Asia and other parts of Europe.
For now, the focus remains on completing the UK exercise, which is the largest and most complex of the four interventions. The extension to October 3 gives applicants in London and Manchester additional time to secure appointments and complete their enrolment. The NIS has reiterated its commitment to providing responsive, accessible, timely and convenient passport services to Nigerians in the diaspora. The 8,552 figure is not merely a statistic. It represents thousands of Nigerians who will be able to travel, work, study and reunite with family members without the anxiety of expired or unavailable passports. The intervention exercises are a reminder that diaspora engagement requires practical solutions, not just rhetoric. The NIS has delivered one such solution. The challenge now is to sustain the momentum and ensure that the backlog does not rebuild once the exercises end.
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