Nigerians living in the United Kingdom have expressed frustration over delays, long waiting times and alleged poor organization during the Special Passport Intervention exercise organized by the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS.
Several applicants took to social media to complain about difficulties accessing the passport services the NIS announced months ago, including new passport applications, renewals and the resolution of pending applications.
The intervention was introduced as part of efforts to address the backlog of passport applications among Nigerians living in the UK. The first phase of the exercise is scheduled to run from September 7 to 19 in London and Manchester.
Last week, the NIS directed applicants to submit their applications online and make payments through the NIS Passport Application Portal before attending the intervention exercise.
The agency warned that applicants who failed to complete the required process would not be attended to.
However, videos and images showing crowds of Nigerians outside an intervention centre in Manchester surfaced online on Monday, with applicants expressing frustration over the delays.
Some applicants said they arrived at the designated centres early but waited for several hours before receiving attention.
A Nigerian, Agbaeze Ejem, who said he attended the exercise in London, said on X that he arrived at the venue at 9 a.m. but was unable to complete the process until several hours later, despite what he described as a low turnout when he arrived.
Another Nigerian social media user, @aadeolaa, complained about the waiting time, saying applicants with morning appointments were still waiting several hours later.
“ A 9am appointment is yet to be attended to at 12 noon. Mind you, people paid £70 for these shambles,” the user wrote.
A Nigerian social worker based in Manchester, using the username Iamlyday1, also criticized the organization of the exercise. “It is deplorable and wholly inadequate,” she wrote.
She said Nigerians had rearranged their schedules to attend the exercise only to encounter what she described as poor planning and long delays.
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Another social media user said the process had forced Nigerians to take time away from work and travel long distances simply to renew their passports.
Some applicants also raised concerns over the alleged management of the venues used for the intervention.
Olamide Obe, a Nigerian social media user, alleged that the Lebanese-owned Lavali Lounge in London had been booked by the NIS as a venue for the passport exercise but claimed that the management had not been paid for its use. He also alleged that adequate security arrangements were not provided at the venue.
Olamide shared a video purportedly showing a man at the venue asking people to leave and announcing the closure of the premises. The allegations could not immediately be independently verified.
Applicants also complained about alleged additional charges ranging from £70 to £150, separate from payments already made through the NIS passport application portal.
A Nigerian X user, Jacy, said she attended the exercise in Manchester and had to leave after being told about an additional £70 payment.
Another applicant alleged that some Nigerians arrived as early as 5 a.m., took time off work and travelled long distances, only to be told they could not be attended to because they had not paid the newly introduced £70 fee.
Other applicants similarly questioned why additional payments were being demanded after they had already paid the official passport application charges.
Responding to the complaints, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said applicants were not required to pay any additional charges beyond the official passport fees.
In a statement shared on social media, the minister said the process only attracts the official fees of $150 for five-year passports and $230 for passports with 10-year validity, excluding bank charges.
He said neither the Ministry of Interior nor the Nigeria Immigration Service had introduced additional charges outside the approved fees.
Tunji-Ojo also said the Ministry of Interior, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was working to ensure that inconveniences experienced during the intervention did not persist.
The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to providing services to Nigerians both at home and abroad.
The complaints have raised questions about the organisation and implementation of the special intervention, particularly regarding waiting times, venue arrangements and alleged additional payments.
Premium Times reportedly contacted the NIS spokesperson, Akin Alabi, for clarification on the complaints and the alleged extra charges. However, no response had been received from the agency as of the time of the report.
The Special Passport Intervention is expected to continue in London and Manchester through September 19 as authorities work to process applications and address the passport backlog affecting Nigerians in the UK.
PremiumTimes
