By Palma Ileye
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has clarified that Nigerians in the United Kingdom applying for international passports under the ongoing special passport intervention exercise are not required to pay any additional charges beyond the approved fees.
Tunji-Ojo, in a statement issued on Monday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Alao Babatunde, said the intervention was introduced to provide more options for Nigerians in the UK to process their passport applications and ease the difficulties they may have experienced.
According to him, applicants are required to pay only the official fees of $150 for a five-year validity passport and $230 for a 10-year validity passport, exclusive of bank charges.
He stressed that neither the Ministry of Interior nor the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) had introduced any additional charges outside the approved fees.
The minister, however, acknowledged the inconvenience being experienced by some Nigerians in the UK during the exercise, noting that consultations were ongoing with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure that the challenges were resolved.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to providing efficient passport services and ensuring that Nigerians at home and abroad receive the necessary support.
Tunji-Ojo also advised applicants to take advantage of the seamless contactless biometric passport application system as part of efforts to make the process easier and more convenient.
The special passport intervention exercise is aimed at expanding access to passport services for Nigerians residing in the United Kingdom.
