Nigerians in UK Face Unauthorized Passport Fees

The Nigerians in Diaspora Civic Forum has accused the Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom of imposing unapproved additional charges on Nigerians applying for the Federal Government’s special passport intervention program. In a statement by spokesperson Christopher Babafemi Akinola, the Forum claimed these extra fees were not authorized by the Ministry of Interior or the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

The Forum alleged that the charges originated from the High Commission, not the Ministry of Interior, which is responsible for passport administration in Nigeria. It stated that applicants should only pay $150 for a five-year passport and $230 for a ten-year passport, excluding bank charges.

The Forum called for clarification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding these charges and emphasized that the intervention was meant to simplify passport processing for Nigerians abroad, especially ahead of the Yuletide season. The Forum noted that similar programs had been successful in other countries but faced implementation challenges in the UK.