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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has denied suspending passport services in Kano, saying a recent directive to migrate two passport production centres in the state to the Central Personalization Centre does not amount to a shutdown of passport operations.
The clarification was issued on August 5, following criticism that the migration of additional passport branches could disrupt passport processing in Kano and other affected locations.
The response came after some Nigerians, including former presidential aide Bashir Ahmad and commentator Ahmad Loriman, called for the decision to be reviewed.
NIS said the migration is an administrative restructuring of passport production and that applicants can still complete passport enrolment and biometric capture at their local passport centres.
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What they are saying
In its response, the Service said the migration of additional passport branches to the Central Personalization Centre is a strategic administrative enhancement rather than a suspension of passport services.
- “Applicants can still visit their local centers to complete biometric data capture seamlessly. This centralized production framework is designed to align with global security standards, streamline processing timelines, and significantly safeguard the integrity of the Nigerian passport.”
The agency added that passport capture centres remain fully operational and that passport booklets will continue to be processed and returned to local commands within standard delivery timelines.
Get up to speed
The controversy followed an internal circular dated August 3, 2026, from the Passport and Other Travel Document Directorate of the NIS. The circular approved the migration of 10 passport branches to the Central Personalization Centre, with the directive scheduled to take effect on August 10, 2026.
The affected passport centres include Farm Centre Kano, Dawakin Kudu Kano, Jalingo, Gombe, Yola, Bauchi, Port Harcourt, Uyo, Calabar, and Yenagoa.
The circular instructed officials that passport booklets for the affected centres would henceforth be dispatched from the Central Personalization Centre, while produced passports would be delivered directly to the centres.
The directive triggered criticism, particularly in Kano, where some stakeholders argued that moving passport production out of the state could create unnecessary hardship for residents and businesses.
Former presidential aide to late Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, urged NIS to reconsider the decision, arguing that Kano’s population and economic importance justify stronger immigration service infrastructure.
- “Kano is Nigeria’s most populous state and serves as the commercial and economic hub of Northern Nigeria. Given our strategic importance, the state deserves adequate immigration services that reflect its population size and significance,” Bashir Ahmad wrote on X.
An X user, Ahmad Loriman also criticised the move, describing Kano as a major commercial hub in Northern Nigeria and calling on federal lawmakers from the state to intervene and ensure the passport production centres are restored.
NIS, however, maintained that the restructuring affects passport production logistics and not passport enrolment or biometric capture, adding that local passport centres will continue to operate normally.
What you should know
The passport production restructuring is the latest in a series of efforts by the Nigeria Immigration Service to modernise and digitise its operations.
- In February 2025, the agency introduced a contactless passport application system that allows eligible Nigerian citizens to apply for passports, submit biometric information, and make payments through an online process with minimal physical interaction.
- The Service also expanded its digital immigration infrastructure by launching an online platform for the application and processing of the Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card (CERPAC), enabling expatriates to complete applications electronically.
- From August 2025, all CERPAC applications were moved exclusively online, ending the use of physical application forms as part of the Federal Government’s broader immigration modernisation programme.
The latest migration of passport production functions to the Central Personalization Centre appears to be part of that broader centralisation and digitisation effort, which NIS says is intended to improve security, efficiency, and the integrity of Nigeria’s passport system.
