Olu Allen
In Nigeria today, applying for a passport feels less like a civic process and more like buying a ticket into your own citizenship. Prices now hover between ₦100,000 and ₦200,000, depending on location and “facilitation.”
For many Nigerians, that is more than two months of minimum wage. But the real scandal goes beyond cost. The booklets themselves are not even produced in Nigeria.
Our passport, a symbol of sovereignty and identity, is printed by Iris Smart Technologies Ltd, a private Malaysian company. Every booklet represents a quiet but steady flow of foreign exchange out of our economy.
This arrangement is not new. For almost two decades, Iris has had a monopoly on passport production for Nigeria. At the time, the government argued that outsourcing was the fastest way to deliver secure biometric passports.
But two decades later, the contract has become a trap. It ensures that each passport Nigerians pay for also pays a foreign company first. And in an economy already battered by forex scarcity, this is a bleeding wound we have chosen not to stitch.
The irony is hard to miss. Nigeria already has institutions capable of handling secure national documents. The National Identity Number (NIN) system is run locally.
The voter’s card, another sensitive, high-security document, is produced here. The Nigerian Security Printing and Minting (NSPM) Plc, famously known as “The Mint,” has the mandate and the machinery for secure printing.
Yet for passports, the government sidelines its own agency, keeps the Malaysian contract alive, and tells citizens to pay through the nose for a document that is not truly theirs.
There are three major consequences of this arrangement. First, the forex leakage: every time a Nigerian pays for a passport, part of that money is shipped abroad, adding pressure on the naira.
Second, the lost jobs: printing and personalization of millions of booklets could have employed hundreds of Nigerian engineers, IT specialists, and technicians. Instead, those jobs sit offshore.
Third, the loss of control: outsourcing something as central to national security as the passport to a foreign private company raises obvious risks.
In an era where identity theft and cyber espionage are real threats, should Nigeria’s primary identity document really depend on another country’s factory lines?
Defenders of the status quo point to technology gaps and argue that localizing production would risk delays or compromise standards. But this is weak.
If Nigeria can mint its own currency, notes that must meet international anti-counterfeit standards, it can certainly print and personalize passports. What is missing is not capacity but political will.
The Mint is underutilized because vested interests profit from outsourcing. The same government that preaches “buy Nigeria, build Nigeria” continues to export one of its most strategic symbols of sovereignty.
The costs are not merely economic. They are psychological and symbolic. Imagine a Nigerian abroad, clutching a passport that is supposed to embody his nationhood, only to know it was manufactured in Malaysia.
It mirrors the broader pattern of dependency that has trapped our economy for decades, imported fuel in an oil-rich country, imported food in fertile land, and now, imported passports in a nation with its own minting company. It is, frankly, a shame.
So, what is the way forward? The government must confront the entrenched contracts with Iris Smart Technologies and design a clear transition plan.
Passport production should be localized within the next three years. The Mint should be upgraded, resourced, and held accountable to global standards.
Partnerships with reputable foreign firms can provide technology transfer, but ultimate ownership and control must remain with Nigeria. This is not just about documents; it is about economic sovereignty.
Most importantly, passport access must be treated as a right, not a privilege. A country that can fund fuel subsidies worth trillions should not push its citizens to pay ₦200,000 for a passport.
Cost recovery is reasonable; profiteering is not. The passport is not a luxury good. It is the key to mobility, opportunity, and identity. Making it prohibitively expensive undermines the very essence of citizenship.
The real question, then, is simple: should we really be paying for the passport, both in hard currency and in lost dignity? Nigeria has the brains, the facilities, and the need to produce its passports at home.
What we lack is the courage to break old monopolies. Until that changes, every Nigerian who pays for a passport is also paying for the failure of leadership.
Allen is a writer and educator who resides in Kano. He writes on public affairs and promote good governance.
