Passport hikes and burden of multiple identification crisis

Nigerians have been grappling with yet another increase in the cost of acquiring and renewing international passports. The hike has drawn mixed reactions from citizens who considered the development as an additional burden. For many, the new fees are not just about higher costs; they symbolise the broader frustration with systemic inefficiencies and the duplicity […]

Nigerians have been grappling with yet another increase in the cost of acquiring and renewing international passports. The hike has drawn mixed reactions from citizens who considered the development as an additional burden.

For many, the new fees are not just about higher costs; they symbolise the broader frustration with systemic inefficiencies and the duplicity of identification requirements in the country.

The most recent hike saw the 32-page, five-year passport now costing N100,000 and the 64-page, 10-year passport priced at N200,000. This marks a sharp jump from the  N35,000 to N50,000 for the 32-page passport and from N70,000 to N100,000 for the 64-page booklet.

The NIS maintains that the new rates are necessary to cover production costs, improve service delivery, and align with global standards.

For many homes, the revised fees place passports further out of reach, particularly for those who rely on travel for education, business, or medical reasons.

Yet beyond the pricing issue lies another longstanding challenge: the fragmentation of Nigeria’s identification systems.

After a decade of trial and error, Nigeria is struggling to streamline its identity management, as a more sustainable approach is needed to prevent the ID program from becoming an ongoing financial drain on the country’s coffers and the citizens.

Over the years, the federal government has rolled out multiple identity schemes, including the National Identity Number (NIN), Bank Verification Number (BVN), Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC), Driver’s License, and the International Passport. Each was introduced with the promise of harmonisation, but in practice, citizens are still required to present several forms of identification when accessing services in other areas, including banks requesting for verifications that would require newspaper publications or court affidavits.

Beyond burdening the citizens, another critical area affected is small businesses.  For small business owners, this means repeated documentation and delays, higher operating costs, limited access to finance, reduced trust and lost opportunities, and inefficiency in government support programs.

At the heart of the problem is the lack of identity harmonization. Instead of one centralised system, Nigeria operates multiple siloed identity databases that are managed by about 13 government agencies and other critical organisations in Nigeria, like the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), banks, and tax authorities, among others. This lack of integration leads to the repeated collection of the same personal details, wasting resources and subjecting citizens to delays and duplication, while also stifling the growth, innovation, and resilience of SMEs, to the detriment of the economy.

A streamlined, centralized database would not only reduce the stress of acquiring documents but also strengthen national security, financial inclusion, business productivity, and trust in government institutions. Countries, such as India, which consolidated identification through its Aadhaar program, have reported reduced fraud, faster service delivery, and cost savings for both government and citizens.

The federal government has repeatedly emphasized its commitment to digital transformation and the ease of doing business. To deliver on this promise, the priority must shift toward harmonising identity databases, reducing duplication, and ensuring that citizens are not unduly burdened by multiple verification processes, as this will allow government to plan more efficiently to better foster financial inclusion, digital economy growth, and integrated national security efforts.

As the debate over passport fees continues, one fact remains clear: the issue is not merely about rising costs but about the larger need for a citizen-centered identification system that works efficiently, fairly, and transparently.

 

Blaise Udunze can be reached via: [email protected]