NIS Denies Shutting Down S/East Passport Production Centre

The Nigeria Immigration Service has denied reports that it plans to shut down the South East passport production centre in Enugu.

The NIS Public Relations Officer, DCI AS Akinlabi, in a statement on Saturday, described the claim as “entirely false and a gross misrepresentation” of ongoing reforms to modernise passport administration.

Akinlabi explained that the NIS had introduced a phased onboarding system to migrate passport offices, including those in foreign missions, to a centralised production framework.

He said the modernisation effort, which began in 2024, is designed to enhance the efficiency, integrity and security of Nigeria’s passport production system.

According to him, the NIS has onboarded passport offices in the North East and North Central states of Borno, Yobe, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau, as well as 35 international stations across Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America.

Udo said scheduled migration for the five South East states – Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo -and five additional international stations, including Italy, Greece, Spain, Switzerland and Austria, are ongoing within the first quarter of 2026.

The NIS spokesman urged the public to disregard “speculative narratives capable of creating unnecessary tension.”

The clarification followed a post on Friday by a Facebook user, Chinasa Nworu, claiming that the Interior Minister, Tunji-Ojo, had disqualified South East states from printing international passports and planned to shut down the region’s only passport production centre.

Akinlabi added that the NIS “has established a strict work-plan calendar to ensure this transition is seamless and does not disrupt delivery timelines as the goal is to drive the process towards greater efficiency.

“The public is therefore advised to disregard speculative narratives capable of creating unnecessary tension, as the Service continues to implement reforms in the overall national interest. Nigeria Immigration Service remains committed to equitable service delivery and operational excellence.”