“Nigerians already paid more through bribes” – President’s aide defends passport fee hike

President Bola Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi has defended the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS)’s controversial increase in passport application fees. 
 

Ajayi claimed on X that Nigerians have been paying even more through unofficial means to fast-track the process. 
 

On Thursday, August 28, the NIS announced that from September 1, 2025, a 32-page passport with a five-year validity will cost ₦100,000, while a 64-page passport with a 10-year validity will be priced at ₦200,000. 
 

The revised fees apply only to applications made within Nigeria. Passports obtained from abroad will remain at $150 and $230, respectively. 
 

NIS said the upward review was necessary to “uphold the quality and integrity of the Nigerian Passport.” 
 

However, the hike has drawn heavy criticism from citizens including opposition figures like Peter Obi. 

“The obsession of this administration with putting a burden on the populace is becoming legendary and continues to reveal its apparent disconnect with the people and the suffering,” Obi wrote on X. 

“The International Passport fees in Nigeria have now skyrocketed to ₦100,000 for a 32-page booklet and ₦200,000 for 64 pages. This is the third increase in just two years. 

“In a country where the new minimum wage is only ₦70,000, the cost of a single passport now exceeds a worker’s monthly salary, probably the only country in the world to achieve this feat.” 
 

In response to the viral criticism, presidential aide, Temitope Ajayi, wrote, “Nigerians have always paid more than N100k and N200k to get the 5 years and 10 years valid travel passport, in bribes, to Immigration officers to get their passports out on time.” 
 

He added “The difference now is: the money will go into government coffers for same express service instead of private pockets.”