By Flowerbudnews Reporters
Abuja (Flowerbudnews): Nigerians have reacted to the recent price hike announced by the Nigeria Immigration Service for obtaining Nigerian International Passport, urging President Tinubu to direct a reversal.
(Minister of Interior, Tunji-Ojo)
Flowerbudnews recall that an increment in cost of obtaining the nation’s international passport was recently announced by the Immigration via an official statement by its Spokesman, DCI Kenneth.
Kenneth said that the five year duration. Passport which was about N35,000 had been jacked up to N50,000, while the 10 year duration passport was increased from N75,000 to N100,000 with effect from September 2024.
(CG Immigration)
However, Nigerians who spoke with Flowerbudnews on the increase were unanimous in criticising the increase, with many describing it as ‘:insensitive to the current excruciating economic condition of Nigerians”.
A Civil Engineer who spoke to Flowerbudnews on the passport price hike said that such increase at this time was ”unwarranted’, stressing that the focus of the Federal Government and its Agencies ‘:must be how to easy the current hardship and sufferings of Nigerians”.
The Engineer said that, ”if the government organs cannot help Nigerians, then they should not compound the peoples’ pains and problems”.
He appealed to President Tinubu to direct a reversal of the Passport price hike in sympathy with the current food problem and other sufferings being endured by Nigerians.
Many other Nigerians, including a former Immigration Service officer interviewed by Flowerbudnews, spoke in this same vein, urging President Tinubu to intervene and order a reversal of the increase.
”Passport, as a national identity and travel document is the right of every citizen of Nigeria, it should therefore, not be commercialized,”.
One of the personalities interviewed disclosed that, the ”President might not have been in the know of the increase before its announcement,”.
”It could have just been between the Minister of Interior and the Immigration Service Authorities, without the knowledge of the President,” he said.
One of the persons who spoke to Flowerbudnews said that he always had interest in the outcome of decisions from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) because they were always for the good of the country and the people.
”I was not aware that the issue of slamming Nigerians with another increase and exploitation in the name of Passport, was ever taken to the Federal Executive Council for discussion or ratification,” he told Flowerbudnews.
Some others who also spoke to Flowerbudnews noted that nothing was done on the passport, saying, ”the passport is as it is, nothing was done on the book, so why any increase at this time,,” Flowerbudnews
