Nigerian High Commission Offers £50 Refund to Applicants

The Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom has announced a £50 refund for applicants who paid a £70 administrative fee as part of the ongoing passport intervention exercise. The commission stated that applicants would retain £20 as the standard administrative fee.

This announcement was made in a notice published on the commission's website on Friday. The refund follows complaints regarding charges and difficulties faced by Nigerians during the special passport intervention exercise.

On September 8, the Federal Government denied introducing additional charges, asserting that applicants were only required to pay official passport fees, excluding bank charges. The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) confirmed on September 11 that no extra charges were needed for the intervention exercise.

Initially set to end on September 19, the exercise has been extended in London and Manchester to October 3 due to high applicant turnout. Within the first four days, 1,477 Nigerians were processed, with over half of the passports produced and dispatched.

However, technical issues disrupted the exercise at the Manchester center, leading to complaints about delays.