The Nigeria High Commission in the United Kingdom has introduced extra administrative fees for citizens participating in the ongoing Nigeria Immigration Service passport intervention. The exercise, meant to clear backlogs of new applications, renewals, and pending cases, faced an immediate setback on Monday as applicants endured severe delays and overcrowding at centres in London and Manchester.
Internal sources reveal that the High Commission demanded these extra payments to generate revenue, despite a standing directive from former President Muhammadu Buhari limiting diplomatic mission venue charges to no more than £20. Unsanctioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the High Commission added a £70 charge for standard intervention applicants and a £150 fee for lost, misplaced, or damaged passports. Reports indicate that payments were collected from roughly 3,000 citizens, even though the facilities can only accommodate under 300 individuals per day.
Responing to public backlash, Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo issued a statement through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Alao Babatunde, denying that the Federal Government or the NIS authorized additional fees. He clarified that applicants were required to pay only the official passport fees of $150 for a five-year passport and $230 for a 10-year passport, excluding applicable bank charges, insisting that neither the Ministry of Interior nor the NIS had introduced any other charges. Tunji-Ojo added that consultations were ongoing with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure that inconveniences do not persist any longer.
Following technical glitches and logistics failures, biometric capturing was temporarily suspended at the primary London venue and relocated to 56–57 Fleet Street. The NIS later reported that the brief technical downtime was resolved, allowing 230 applicants—140 in Manchester and 90 in London—to complete their biometric capture. Despite the operational recovery, controversy remains high regarding the unauthorized local surcharges and overall venue management.
