Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has strongly criticised the Federal Government’s decision to increase the cost of obtaining a Nigerian international passport.
He describes it as yet another burden on citizens already grappling with economic hardship.
On Thursday, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) announced that from 1 September 2025, a 32-page passport with five-year validity will cost ₦100,000, while a 64-page passport with ten-year validity will cost ₦200,000.
The new rates apply only to applications made within Nigeria, while Nigerians abroad will continue to pay $150 and $230, respectively.
Obi: “Insensitive and Unrealistic”
Reacting via his official X account, Peter Obi said the move highlights the government’s growing disconnect from the realities ordinary Nigerians face.
“The obsession of this administration with putting a burden on the populace is becoming legendary and continues to reveal its apparent disconnect with the people and the suffering,” he wrote.
He pointed out that the passport fees have now been raised three times in just two years.
Also, he stresses that the costs are completely unrealistic for the average worker.
“The International Passport fees in Nigeria have now skyrocketed to ₦100,000 for a 32-page booklet and ₦200,000 for 64 pages. This is the third increase in just two years,” Peter obi noted.
Wages vs Cost of Essentials
Peter Obi further highlighted the wide gap between wages and the cost of essential documents like passports.
“In a country where the new minimum wage is only ₦70,000, the cost of a single passport now exceeds a worker’s monthly salary — probably the only country in the world to achieve this feat,” he said.
He urged the Federal Government to reconsider its approach.
Also, he argues that instead of making life easier, policies such as this passport fee hike only make survival harder for ordinary Nigerians.
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“It is alarming that the price of the international passport is higher than what workers earn in a month,” he added.
