Nigeria high commission to refund £50 to applicants charged £70 for UK passport intervention

The Nigeria High Commission in the United Kingdom has announced that it will refund £50 to passport applicants who paid a £70 administrative fee for the ongoing passport intervention exercise, effectively reducing the charge to £20.

The high commission announced the refund in a notice published on its website on Friday, September 11. The decision follows protests and scrutiny over the £70 administrative charge, which was subsequently reduced to £20. A £20 administrative fee had previously been introduced during the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari for a similar passport intervention exercise.

According to the report, the high commission later imposed a £70 charge without approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while applicants seeking replacements for lost passports were charged £150. Officials involved in the exercise told TheCable that the additional payment was introduced to facilitate the process and “generate revenue”.

Following complaints from Nigerians in the UK, Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo expressed concern about difficulties surrounding the passport intervention exercise and denied that applicants were required to pay separate administrative fees.

In a statement issued on Friday, September 11, Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, spokesperson Akinsola Akinlabi said the applicable passport fees remained $162 for a five-year validity booklet and $242 for a 10-year validity booklet.

Akinlabi said the intervention exercise was progressing smoothly at the London and Manchester centres despite challenges encountered on its first day. He urged eligible Nigerians to book appointments for the special intervention through the Nigeria High Commission’s website, while stressing that “no additional charges are required to participate in the intervention exercise”.

According to Akinlabi, 1,477 Nigerians were successfully processed and enrolled during the first four days of the exercise. “Over half of those enrolled have already had their passports produced and dispatched to their respective addresses,” he said.

Following the high turnout and level of interest, Tunji-Ojo approved an extension of the intervention exercise in London and Manchester from September 19 to October 3. Akinlabi said further information about the extended dates, participating locations and appointment procedures would be communicated through the official channels of the NIS and Nigeria High Commission.