By Erewunmi Peace

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has dismissed claims of regional exclusion in the issuance of Nigerian passports, describing the allegations as false, misleading, and a misrepresentation of ongoing reforms within the Service.

In an official statement, the NIS refuted reports circulating online suggesting that certain regions of the country, particularly in the South-East, were being denied access to passport services.

The Service emphasized that no geopolitical zone has been excluded from passport issuance.

According to the NIS, temporary service adjustments in some passport offices are part of a phased migration to a centralized passport production system aimed at improving efficiency, security, and service delivery nationwide.

“The narrative suggesting that any region has been deliberately excluded from obtaining passports is entirely false,” the statement said, reassuring Nigerians that passport services remain available across all states.

The Service also clarified that the Honourable Minister of Interior has not issued any directive that supports the alleged regional bias, effectively absolving the minister of the claims circulating in some media reports.

The NIS urged the public to disregard misinformation and rely only on official communication channels for accurate updates regarding passport processing and reforms.

The clarification comes amid public concerns sparked by viral reports alleging discriminatory practices in passport issuance.