Data obtained by Switch Nigeria shows that the Nigerian Immigration charges passport applicants from southern Nigeria than in Northern Nigeria.
A run through of the Nigerian Immigration website showed that southerners were charged a minimum of N10, 000 extra on all categories of international passports, compared to their northern brothers.
The data further revealed that a 32-page passport for persons between zero to 17 years costs N10,750 in Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara states.
The same passport is issued at the rate of N25,000 for those in the southern region in states like Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross-River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, FCT, Imo, Kwara, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo and Rivers.
However, the NIS in a statement released on Twitter on Thursday, denied such claims.
They said, “They are the electronic passport and enhanced electronic passport. The latter is an improvement of the former.
“It is a product of the latest technology in passport issuance. It has improved security features, a poly carbonate data page and comes in three categories of 32-page five-year validity for N25,000, 64-page five- year for N35,000 and 64-page 10-year validity for N70,000.”
The Service further explained that “It was unveiled sometime in 2019 and in seven Passport Centres including Ikoyi, Abuja, Alausa, FESTAC, Port Harcourt, Kano and Gwagwalada that were immediately migrated to the enhanced Passport regime then.”
