By Mustapha Salisu
The Northern Caucus of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, has dismissed claims that the Federal Government is disenfranchising the North through the ongoing Passport Centralization Programme of the Nigeria Immigration Service.
The statement was signed by Comr. Amb. Sadiq SK Zango, NANS National Vice President, External Affairs, on Thursday and issued to Prime Time News on Sunday.
According to the statement, the migration of passport production to a Central Personalization Centre in Abuja is purely operational and does not stop processing or issuance at any passport office in Nigeria or at Nigerian Embassies and Consulates abroad.
The caucus said the statement became necessary following public enquiries and misconceptions arising from passport offices and stakeholders across the North-East and North-West zones.
It described the centralization as part of a broader modernization programme aimed at strengthening the security, integrity, and efficiency of Nigeria’s passport issuance system.
The Nigeria Immigration Service, it said, adopted a five-phase migration plan to onboard passport offices within Nigeria and abroad while minimizing disruption.
Phases 1 to 3, which began in February 2025 and ran through 2026, covered offices in the North-Central, South-East, and South-West, except Lagos. Forty-one foreign missions across Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Oceania have also been migrated.
Phase 4, scheduled for August 2026, will onboard the remaining offices in the South-South, North-East, and North-West. The affected offices include Calabar, Port Harcourt, Uyo, Yenagoa, Bauchi, Gombe, Jalingo, Yola, Farm Centre Kano, and Dawakin Kudu Kano. Lagos offices are scheduled for migration in Phase 6 later this year.
NANS said under the new framework, all passport booklet printing and security personalization have been consolidated into a secure, high-capacity hub in Abuja to ensure passports are produced within a two-week timeframe.
It added that passport offices across the country and Nigerian missions abroad will continue to function as processing and issuance points.
The students further stated that the reform is designed to eliminate manual intervention in personalization, remove document arbitrage, enhance accountability, and guarantee uniform quality with advanced security features in every Nigerian passport.
“We, the Northern student leaders, attest to the commitment of the Nigeria Immigration Service to deploying technology-driven solutions that improve service delivery while safeguarding the integrity of Nigeria’s passport system in line with global standards,” the statement said.
NANS urged Northerners not to panic, saying the reforms will only lead to a more globally respected Nigerian passport.