Nigeria Denies Extra Passport Fees for UK Intervention Exercise

Nigeria's Interior Ministry has acted to dismiss claims that those applying for passports via a special intervention programme operating in the United Kingdom must pay charges exceeding standard rates. In response to widespread uncertainty among UK-based Nigerians regarding scheme expenses, the ministry's media office released clarification on behalf of Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

According to ministry statements, those processed through the intervention exercise will remit only established passport fees: $150 for validity of five years and $230 for ten years. This initiative was established to broaden access for Nigerians residing in the UK to passport application services, introducing neither new nor concealed costs to participants.

Complaints surfaced from Nigerians across UK locations, notably Manchester, describing operational delays and confusion over applicable charges at intervention centres. Minister Tunji-Ojo acknowledged these concerns and signalled government commitment to resolving difficulties affecting the exercise's functioning.

As a convenience initiative, the special intervention exercise permits Nigerians living overseas to submit international passport applications without journeys back to Nigeria. The ministry emphasized in its statement that all users of the service are bound by official tariffs only.