Nigerians in UK frustrated by passport delays and extra fees

Nigerians living in the United Kingdom are unhappy about delays, long waiting times, and poor organisation during the Special Passport Intervention.

Many Nigerians on social media complained about how hard it is to get the passport services that the National Immigration Service (NIS) promised months ago.

The NIS first announced this intervention in August. The aim is to help Nigerians in the UK get new passports, renew old ones, and sort out pending applications. It is also meant to clear the backlog of passport applications for Nigerians in the UK.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the first part of the exercise was supposed to happen from 7 to 19 September in London and Manchester.

Last week, the NIS told applicants to submit their applications online and pay through the NIS Passport Application Portal before attending the intervention. It stated that applicants who "fail to do so will not be attended to."

Yet, videos and photos of a large crowd of Nigerians outside the intervention centre in Manchester appeared online on Monday. Many were frustrated about how badly applicants were treated.

Nigerian applicants said they waited for hours even though they had submitted their applications days before. Agbaeze Ejem, who attended the exercise in London, shared on X that he got to the venue at 9 a.m. but could not finish the process until hours later, even though there were not many people when he arrived.

Another Nigerian, using the handle @_aadeolaa, wrote, "A 9am appointment is yet to be attended to at 12 noon. Mind you, people paid £70 for these shambles."

A Nigerian social worker in Manchester, with the username Iamlyday1, slammed the government for mistreating its citizens.

“It is deplorable and wholly inadequate,” she said. “You announce a passport intervention for Nigerians in parts of the UK; people rearrange their lives to attend. Some reportedly arrive early, and what greets them is chaos, poor planning, and people waiting for hours without being attended to,” she added.

Another social media user commented, “I hate that I have to say that I hate Nigeria, but it has really gotten to that point. Told my manager I need to take Friday off to queue to get my passport renewed and he couldn’t believe his ears.”

“Nigeria immigration organised a passport immigration intervention exercise in Manchester, United Kingdom. Several hours later the people are yet to see the officials. This is why they laugh at us. I’ve not seen any other country that goes through such excruciating pains to renew their international passport,” another Nigerian lamented.

Some Nigerians are also accusing the NIS of not paying the management of the centre used for the intervention.

According to Olamide Obe, a Nigerian social media user, the Lebanese-owned Lavali Lounge in London was booked by the NIS for the passport intervention. But the lounge’s management did not receive payment for using the venue. He also claimed there was no security provided at the venue.

Olamide shared a post with a video showing a man at the alleged venue telling people to leave and close the doors. “You guys are done for today. I can’t take it. Even the embassy, this is unorganised. No security, no staff,” the man in the video said.

Others complained about unexpected extra fees added at the last minute for the exercise. The extra fee, which costs £70-£150, is separate from what applicants paid on the NIS portal.

A Nigerian on X, Jacy, wrote, “I was in Manchester today at 11am. I had to go home! To get our passport renewed, we have to pay £70, excluding what we had already paid previously.”

Another Nigerian said, “People left home as early as 5am, took time off work and travelled long distances, only to be told they couldn’t be attended to because they hadn’t paid the newly introduced £70 fee.”

“This is the bullshit we are being charged an extra £70 for after the initial passport renewal charges? Sigh,” said a Nigerian identified as Seun Ore.

But the Nigerian Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said no extra charges are needed beyond the official application fees. In a statement on social media, he said,

“This process does not come with extra costs other than the official fees of $150 and $230 for five-year and ten-year validity passports, respectively, exclusive of bank charges.”

He also mentioned that the ministry is working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make sure that any problems during this process do not continue.

“This government has shown a high level of responsibility to Nigerians at home and abroad, and remains committed to its promises of providing help to all,” the statement added.

PREMIUM TIMES reached out to the NIS spokesperson, Akin Alabi, for comments about the fees and issues raised by applicants but has not received a response at the time of this report.