SERAP Gives FG 7-Day Ultimatum To Reverse Passport Fee Hike

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the Federal Government to urgently reverse the new passport fees announced by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

This is as the group gave the Federal Government seven days to comply with its demand or face legal action, describing the passport increase as arbitrary, unlawful, and discriminatory against poor Nigerians.

Sunday Telegraph had earlier reported that the NIS had announced that, effective from Monday, September 1, applications within Nigeria would cost N100,000 for the 32-page, five-year validity passport and N200,000 for the 64-page, 10-year validity passport.

Reacting to the price hike in a statement dated Saturday, August 30, SERAP Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said the decision would amount to a denial of access to passports for millions of socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians.

The organisation noted that the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and the Comptroller General of the NIS, Kemi Nandap, failed to balance the need for revenue with citizens’ rights.

According to the organization, the unlawful increase in passport fees at a time the country is facing economic and financial crises would contribute further to the impoverishment of the population.

“Millions of disadvantaged Nigerians cannot realistically afford to pay the increased fees.

“These Nigerians should not be forced to spend their limited and grossly inadequate income to pay the increased fees instead of spending it on their basic living needs.

“The Minister of Interior and the Comptroller General of the NIS acted unlawfully when they arbitrarily increased the passport fees.

“The unreasonable and disproportionate increase in passport fees is incompatible with the provisions of chapters 2 and 4 of the Nigerian Constitution covering fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy and fundamental rights.

“Nigerians who cannot afford to pay the excessive fees would be denied the effective enjoyment of their citizenship rights conferred by the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and human rights treaties to which the country is a state party.”