Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has slammed the federal government’s decision to increase the cost of obtaining international passports.
Peter Obi lamented that the price increase shows that the government is totally disconnected from the people.
Bellnews recalls that the federal government announced on Thursday an upward review of the fees for the Nigerian international passport, effective September 1, 2025.
This was disclosed in a statement on Thursday by the spokesman of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), A. S. Akinlabi.
According to the Service, the new rates will only apply to passport applications submitted within Nigeria.
The review sets new thresholds at ₦100,000 for a 32-page booklet with five-year validity and ₦200,000 for a 64-page booklet with 10-year validity.”
Reacting, Obi condemned the price increase, arguing that it is totally unbearable for the cost of a single passport to exceed the country’s minimum wage.
He also accused the government of shifting financial burdens onto ordinary Nigerians.
“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.
“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.
“Instead of making life easier, this government keeps shifting the burden onto ordinary Nigerians. It is alarming that the price of the international passport is higher than what workers earn in a month,” the former Anambra State Governor wrote on 𝕏.