The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately reverse the recent increase in passport application fees, describing the move as arbitrary, unlawful, and excessive.
In a letter dated August 30, 2025, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP urged the President to direct the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nanna Nandap, to rescind the decision.
The NIS had on August 28 announced that, effective September 1, 2025, new passport application fees would be set at ₦100,000 for the 32-page, five-year validity passport, and ₦200,000 for the 64-page, 10-year validity option. This marks a steep increase from the current fees of ₦50,000 and ₦100,000 respectively—fees that were themselves increased just a year ago, in September 2024.
According to SERAP, the hike amounts to a discriminatory denial of access to travel documents for millions of economically disadvantaged Nigerians and poses a significant threat to their constitutional and human rights.
“Millions of vulnerable Nigerians simply cannot afford these new fees,” the group stated. “Forcing them to spend what little they earn on passports instead of on basic needs is not only unjust but unconstitutional.”
SERAP emphasized that the Ministry of Interior and the NIS have a legal and constitutional obligation to ensure policies do not infringe on citizens’ rights or disproportionately burden the poor.
“The new fees will hit hardest those at the bottom of the economic ladder,” the letter read. “This increase represents a clear failure to balance fiscal policy with the protection of citizens’ rights, as required by both the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights treaties.”
The organization warned that the high costs could deny many Nigerians their right to obtain a passport, and by extension, their right to freedom of movement as guaranteed under Nigerian law and global human rights conventions such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
“The excessive charges are incompatible with Chapters 2 and 4 of the 1999 Constitution, which deal with fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy as well as the protection of fundamental rights,” SERAP added.
It further argued that the Interior Ministry and the NIS failed to assess the economic realities faced by millions of Nigerians before implementing the new policy.
“The fee hike was imposed without adequate consideration of its consequences on poor citizens or any transparent justification. Such arbitrary action undermines the rule of law and erodes public trust,” the group said.
SERAP has given the government a 7-day deadline from the date of receipt or publication of the letter to act. Should the authorities fail to respond, the organization pledged to take appropriate legal action to compel compliance in the public interest.
“The timing of this increase—amid widespread economic hardship—is especially troubling,” the letter continued. “The government must prioritize the welfare of citizens, not add to their burden.”
