By Onyeanya Ebere Immaculata
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), has dismissed reports alleging that the South East has been disqualified from passport issuance, describing the claims as false and misleading.
In a statement issued in Abuja and signed by the Service Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller of Immigration Akinsola Akinlabi, the NIS said passport processing equipment in the region had not been dismantled and issuance had not been suspended.
The Service explained that the reports misrepresented ongoing reforms aimed at modernising passport administration through a phased onboarding system that migrates passport offices to a centralised production framework.
The NIS said the modernisation process, which began in 2024, is designed to improve efficiency, integrity and security in passport production, not to exclude any region.
It added that passport offices in Borno, Yobe, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau, as well as 35 international stations across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, have already been onboarded.
The Service said the migration of passport offices in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, alongside five international stations in Italy, Greece, Spain, Switzerland and Austria, is ongoing and expected to be completed within the first quarter of 2026.
The NIS urged the public to disregard speculative narratives capable of creating unnecessary tension, reiterating its commitment to equitable service delivery and reforms in the national interest.
