NIS Clarifies Non-issuance of Passport in South-east Italy, Four Other International Stations

Chinedu Eze

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has clarified that its suspension of passport printing and issuance at the South-east and five other international stations was part of its ongoing centralisation of passport printing at its headquarters.

NIS also, before the ongoing migration of the South-east states and the five international stations, it had successfully onboarded its passport offices in the North-east and North Central states of Borno, Yobe, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau, along with 35 international stations spread across Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America.

There were reports that NIS had finalized plans to discontinue passport printing at the Enugu passport office, the only facility in the zone where passports are printed.

But in a statement issued yesterday by NIS and signed by the Service Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller of Immigration (DCI) Akinsola Akinlabi, the agency said that the reports were entirely false.

The attention of the Nigeria Immigration Service has been drawn to a baseless online report claiming that a specific region of the country has been disqualified from passport issuance.

“NIS categorically states that this report is entirely false and a gross misrepresentation of the ongoing government reforms to modernise passport administration,” the statement said.

The statement explained that NIS had planned to centralise passport printing at its headquarters, rather than having different officers, including those based locally and overseas, print passports, to secure them further.

“The reality is that NIS has introduced a phased onboarding system to migrate passport offices, including those in foreign missions, to a centralized production framework.

“This modernisation effort, which began in 2024, is designed to enhance the efficiency, integrity, and security of Nigeria’s passport production system and not exclude any citizen.

“The Service has successfully onboarded passport offices in the North East and North Central states of Borno, Yobe, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau, along with 35 international stations spread across Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America,” the statement further explained.

NIS added that ⁠the scheduled migration for the five South-east states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo, and five additional international stations – Italy, Greece, Spain, Switzerland, and Austria – is currently ongoing within the first quarter of 2026.

“Consequently, the service has established a strict work-plan calendar to ensure this transition is seamless and does not disrupt delivery timelines, as the goal is to drive the process towards greater efficiency.

“The public is therefore advised to disregard speculative narratives capable of creating unnecessary tension, as the Service continues to implement reforms in the overall national interest. Nigeria Immigration Service remains committed to equitable service delivery and operational excellence,” the statement added.