Don’t politicise passport reform, NANS reacts to Northern marginalization claims

The Northern Caucus of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has dismissed claims that the Federal Government’s ongoing passport centralisation reform is designed to sideline or disenfranchise Northern Nigeria, describing such allegations as false, misleading and politically motivated.

The students’ body said the passport centralisation programme being implemented by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) is a nationwide operational reform aimed at improving security, efficiency and service delivery, rather than a regional agenda.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, the caucus urged Nigerians, particularly residents of the North-East and North-West, to ignore what it described as “deliberate falsehood, propaganda and misinformation” surrounding the exercise.

The National Vice President (External Affairs) of NANS, Comrade Sadiq Zango, said the group was compelled to address growing public concerns following enquiries from passport applicants and stakeholders across the affected northern states.

According to NANS, the migration of passport production to the Central Personalisation Centre in Abuja does not stop passport processing or issuance at any passport office across the country or at Nigerian embassies and consulates abroad.

Instead, it explained, the initiative forms part of a comprehensive modernisation programme designed to strengthen the security, integrity and efficiency of Nigeria’s passport issuance system.

The association disclosed that the NIS had adopted a phased implementation strategy, with phases one to three already completed between February 2025 and 2026, covering passport offices in the North-Central, South-East and South-West regions, except Lagos, as well as 41 Nigerian missions across Africa, Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Oceania.

It added that phase four, scheduled for August 2026, will onboard the remaining passport offices in the South-South, North-East and North-West, including Calabar, Port Harcourt, Uyo, Yenagoa, Bauchi, Gombe, Jalingo, Yola, Farm Centre Kano and Dawakin Kudu Kano.

“It is therefore far from the truth to suggest that the Federal Government is attempting to disenfranchise the North or any part of the country through this process,” the statement said.

NANS further revealed that under the new operational framework, passport booklet printing and security personalisation have been consolidated into a secure, high-capacity production hub in Abuja to ensure passport production is completed within two weeks.

It stressed that passport offices nationwide would continue to receive applications, process requests and issue passports as before.

The students’ body also noted that the reform would eliminate manual interference in passport personalisation, curb document fraud, strengthen accountability and ensure uniform quality and advanced security features in Nigerian passports.

NANS, while expressing confidence in the Nigeria Immigration Service, said the agency remains committed to deploying technology-driven solutions that align Nigeria’s passport system with global best practices.

The association appealed to Northerners to remain calm and disregard rumours capable of creating tension.

𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖/𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕠 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖