US-Based Nigerian Spends Over ₦1M on Passport Renewal

Sage Vincent Ike, a Nigerian residing in the United States, reported spending over ₦1 million to renew his Nigerian passport amid ongoing reforms by the Federal Government. He applied for the renewal in March 2026, as his passport was set to expire in May, coinciding with a planned trip to Japan.

After a three-hour drive from North Carolina to the Nigerian Consulate in Atlanta for his biometric capture on March 19, he found the office closed for the Eid-el-Fitr holiday without prior notice. Ike returned on March 27, paying $230 for the passport and an error correction.

He was later charged an additional $50 for mailing, totaling approximately ₦414,400. Although the consulate's acknowledgment slip indicated an April 1 readiness date, it was crossed out, and processing was stated to take three to six weeks.

After months of waiting and no response from the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, or the Nigeria Immigration Service, Ike sought help from a retired immigration officer in Nigeria, incurring further costs totaling ₦460,000.