The Nigeria High Commission in the United Kingdom has announced plans to refund £50 to applicants who paid a £70 administrative fee for the ongoing passport intervention exercise.
The refund will bring the administrative charge paid by affected applicants down to £20, which was the fee originally stipulated for the intervention.
The commission announced the decision in a notice published on its website on Friday, following protests and scrutiny over the additional charges imposed on applicants.
The passport intervention exercise was introduced to assist Nigerians in the UK with passport-related services, but the £70 administrative fee attracted criticism after applicants questioned the basis for the charge.
The administrative fee was initially fixed at £20 during a similar passport intervention conducted under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
However, the Nigerian High Commission in the UK subsequently charged £70 for the latest exercise without approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Officials familiar with the matter told TheCable that the commission had requested additional payments to facilitate the process and generate revenue.
The commission had also reportedly charged £150 for lost passports, adding to concerns raised by Nigerians seeking to access the intervention.
Following the protests, the high commission reduced the intervention fee from £70 to £20 and has now announced that applicants who already paid the higher amount will receive £50 refunds.
The controversy also prompted a response from Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, who expressed concern over the difficulties experienced by Nigerians during the passport intervention exercise.
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Tunji-Ojo also rejected claims that applicants were required to pay separate administrative fees to participate in the exercise.
In a statement issued on Friday, Akinsola Akinlabi, the Nigeria Immigration Service Public Relations Officer, reiterated that applicants were not required to pay additional charges.
He said the applicable passport fees remain $162 for a five-year validity passport booklet and $242 for a 10-year validity booklet.
Akinlabi said the intervention exercise was progressing smoothly at the London and Manchester centres despite challenges encountered on the first day.
According to him, 1,477 Nigerians had successfully been processed and enrolled within the first four days of the exercise.
He added that more than half of those enrolled had already had their passports produced and dispatched to their respective addresses.
The NIS spokesperson urged eligible Nigerians to book appointments through the official Nigeria High Commission website and warned applicants against paying additional charges for participation.
Following the high turnout and continued demand for the service, Tunji-Ojo approved an extension of the passport intervention exercise.
The exercise in London and Manchester, initially scheduled to end earlier, has now been extended from September 19 to October 3.
Akinlabi said further details about the extended dates, participating locations and appointment procedures would be released through the official communication channels of the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Nigeria High Commission.
The refund announcement is expected to address concerns among applicants who paid the higher £70 administrative charge while reaffirming that no additional payment is required beyond the officially approved passport fees.
The Cable
